Kennelbach-based company Head announced that it is working with Toray to develop tennis and pickleball racquets containing Toray’s 100-percent biocircular carbon fibers in accordance with the mass balance approach. Toray’s biocircular carbon fibers are made from waste and residues of biological origin from agriculture, forestry and related industries that are generated at the beginning of the supply chain and – instead of ending up in landfills or otherwise being diverted from the economy – are reused, utilized or recycled.
The collaboration with Toray and its biocircular carbon fiber manufacturing subsidiary, Toray Carbon Fibers Europe, is part of Head’s ReThink project, which aims to make its own processes more sustainable from manufacturing to shipping.
Head distributed 20 prototype racquets to celebrities playing in the 2nd WorldChanger charity tennis tournament at the Hotel Stanglwirt in Austria, which raised funds for the Alexander Zverev Foundation. As Head is a partner of the WorldChanger event, which promotes “the power of positive impact and change,” this was an ideal setting to showcase this innovation. After the event and other tests, the Head R&D staff were fully convinced of the playability of the prototypes.
The collaboration between Head and Toray is set to continue, with the companies exploring how these prototypes can be further developed so that Head can potentially bring more sustainable racquets and paddles to market in the future. The company said that as an environmentally conscious sporting goods manufacturer, it recognizes that much more must be done to reduce harmful emissions and protect biodiversity. It is thus determined to maintain high performance while reducing the environmental impact.
