Tennis and padel are two very popular and fast-growing sports around the world.
They are healthy activities for people of all ages, with great physical and mental benefits. However, they have a high environmental impact due to the large consumption of playing equipment, especially balls.
Their composite structure makes them very difficult to recycle: every year, huge quantities of rubber and felt end up in landfills or incinerators, contributing to increased land consumption and the production of environmentally harmful emissions.
400
balls consumed
every year in the world
every year in the world
10
balls consumed
every year in Italy
every year in Italy
20000
rubber and felt wasted
every year in the world
every year in the world
500
rubber and felt wasted
every year in Italy
every year in Italy
What is a ball made of?
Tennis and padel balls are made from two slurries of rubber and other substances, which are joined by a vulcanisation process and glued onto the surface with two films of felt, a mixture of wool and synthetic fibres.
The compositions of the slurries and films, which determine the performance of the different types of balls, vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and are covered by trade secret.
Per saperne di più
ITF – International Tennis Federation
IPF – International Padel Federation
What we do
We collect used tennis and padel balls from tournaments and clubs using recyclable containers and energy-efficient, low-emission vehicles.
If possible, we reuse them. Otherwise, we process them with state-of-the-art technology, creating products of high technical and aesthetic value.
We thus contribute to protecting the environment by avoiding waste of resources and recovering quality materials.
5
collection target
2025-2030
2025-2030
250
collection target
2025-2030
2025-2030
A WINNING RETURN
In tennis and padel, the return of serve is a fundamental stroke, key to the success of many champions past and present.
RETURN is the ultimate answer to the environmental problems of these two wonderful sports.
We work with universities, research centres and companies to find innovative solutions to recycle used balls in industry without wasting resources or releasing harmful substances into the environment.
Through brilliant teamwork, we are making new products, activating new supply chains and creating new energy sources.
This is how a successful circular economy model is born!
