Paris, France, March 1st, 2024 – Toray Carbon Fibers Europe S.A. announced today that HEAD Sports GmbH (HEAD) is developing prototype tennis racquets and pickleball1 paddles made with Toray’s bio-circular carbon fiber using the mass balance approach2 as certified by the ISCC PLUS standard3.
Toray Carbon Fibers Europe and HEAD are leaders in producing premium high-performance products and 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-circular4 carbon fiber (mass balance approach) for this project. Toray Carbon Fibers Europe recently obtained ISCC PLUS certification in September 2023 and is able to supply bio-circular carbon fiber using the mass balance approach. Therefore, products manufactured with bio-circular carbon fiber5 will emit less CO2.
Image credits: HEAD Sports GmbH
As an environmentally responsibly oriented sporting goods manufacturer, HEAD recognizes there is much more to be done to reduce harmful emissions and protect biodiversity. For HEAD, the goal is to achieve maximum sustainability in all its processes, from manufacturing to shipping. HEAD has initiated the development of prototype racquets using Toray’s bio-circular carbon fiber (mass balance approach) as part of the HEAD ReThink programme to create performance products designed to reduce their impact on the environment.
Part of the Toray Group’s Sustainability Vision for 2050 is to create a world where resources are sustainably managed. The Toray Group aims to build a new materials eco-system that harnesses bio-circular raw materials to make products that at the end of their lifecycle are able to be repurposed or recycled. In providing innovative materials, Toray is actively contributing to addressing global issues and is implementing its corporate philosophy to ‘contribute to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies and products’.
‘Toray Carbon Fibers Europe is the European leader in premium carbon fiber and has a strong commitment to carbon neutrality. We are committed to consistently supplying our customers with the most advanced technology in a socially responsible way, thus providing value to society’.
Armin Klesing, Director of Sales & Marketing, Toray Carbon Fibers Europe
About Toray Carbon Fibers Europe S.A.
Toray Carbon Fibers Europe, a subsidiary of the Japanese company, Toray Industries, the world’s leading manufacturer of carbon fiber, has been present in Europe for more than 40 years. Toray Carbon Fibers Europe has extensive experience in manufacturing and marketing ToraycaTM premium carbon fibers. We offer the most comprehensive range of carbon fibers on the European market. Our carbon fibers and composite materials are a guarantee of high quality, resulting from our expert technical knowledge and know-how.
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Notes
- Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor game that is played on a level court with short-handled paddles and a perforated plastic ball.
- A mass balance approach is one in which raw materials with certain characteristics (an example being biomass-derived) are mixed with other raw materials (such as petroleum-derived ones) in the processing and distribution process, from raw materials through to finished products. Characteristics are assigned to part of a product in line with the input proportions of raw materials with those characteristics.
- ISCC PLUS certification allows us to declare that our products are made from biomass or recycled raw materials in a mass balance approach.
- ‘Bio-circular’ means that the raw materials used to manufacture carbon fiber are sourced from recycled and/or natural materials such as sugar beet waste.
