RETURN Project
he RETURN project and laprima plastics: tennis ball recycling becomes reality
Every year, millions of tennis balls reach the end of their life cycle and end up in landfills, posing a significant environmental challenge. To tackle this problem, the RETURN – Recycle Tennis Balls project has developed an innovative solution for the recovery and reuse of spent balls and in this process laprima plastics plays a key role as a technical partner.
A complex technical challenge
Tennis balls are made of a combination of rubber and felt, materials that are difficult to separate and recycle. Their composition varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and the process of vulcanising the rubber makes the recovery of the raw materials even more complex. By collaborating with laprima plastics, a leader in plastics regeneration, RETURN has developed an effective system for processing the pellets and transforming the resulting secondary raw material.
The role of laprima plastics: from a tennis ball to a new product
Laprima Plastics takes care of the entire treatment process of the spent pellets, recovering the rubber and felt and transforming them into secondary raw materials that are then used in various sectors:
Sustainable construction: thanks to collaboration with specialised companies, recycled rubber is used for sports flooring, surfaces for playgrounds and anti-slip coatings
Footwear industry: the material derived from recycled balls is used in the production of soles for sports shoes, offering a durable and high-performance product – Explore OOH!
Other innovative sectors: RETURN and laprima plastics are exploring new opportunities for using recycled rubber, including solutions for the automotive and design industries.
A project for the future
The collaboration between RETURN and laprima plastics is not limited to the recovery of tennis balls, but aims to create a replicable circular model for other complex materials to be recycled. Thanks to this synergy, the project is making a concrete contribution to reducing environmental impact by promoting a sustainable supply chain that gives new life to waste materials.
With RETURN and laprima plastics, tennis ball recycling becomes a reality, turning an environmental challenge into an opportunity for a greener and more responsible future.