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Head Sports GmbH (Kennelbach, Austria) is developing prototype tennis racquets and pickleball paddles made with Toray Carbon Fibers Europe’s (Paris, France) bio-circular carbon fiber certified by the ISCC Plus standard. Toray notes that “bio-circular” here means that the raw materials used to manufacture carbon fiber are sourced from recycled and/or natural materials such as sugar beet waste.

Both companies are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their activities. The decision to build a partnership to develop new racquets was also based on Toray’s ability to provide bio-circular carbon fiber for this project. Toray Carbon Fibers Europe obtained ISCC Plus certification in September 2023 (read “Toray obtains ISCC certification for European carbon fiber production facilities”) and is able to supply bio-circular carbon fiber using the mass balance approach, which means less CO₂ emissions. The Toray Group aims to build a new materials ecosystem that harnesses bio-circular raw materials to make products that, at the end of their life cycle, are able to be repurposed or recycled.

For Head, the goal is to achieve maximum sustainability in all its processes, from manufacturing to shipping. The company has initiated the development of prototype racquets as part of its ReThink program to create performance products designed to reduce their impact on the environment.