FAIRMAT x Babolat
download press releaseBabolat and FAIRMAT Join Forces: Eco‑Design Meets High‑Performance Sport
At JEC World 2026, held in Paris from March 10 to 12, Babolat and FAIRMAT announce a new collaboration to integrate recycled carbon composites into racquet‑sport equipment. This joint initiative marks an important milestone in the evolution of materials used in elite sport, demonstrating that extreme performance and eco‑design can go hand in hand.
As the world leader in racquet sports, Babolat is taking a major step by embedding low‑impact materials at the earliest stages of product design, working alongside FAIRMAT, France’s leading advanced carbon‑composite recycling company.
Babolat pushes innovation to reduce carbon impact
Babolat is committed to lowering the carbon footprint of its products. This involves exploratory projects focused on innovation and eco‑design. For the French family-owned company, serving players for 150 years, environmental responsibility cannot be separated from performance. Responsible innovation is not about choosing between lower impact and high performance, but about elevating both simultaneously.
These initiatives give rise to “demonstrator” concepts that act as real learning labs spaces where Babolat can test, iterate, and build knowledge to progressively extend breakthroughs across full product ranges and generate measurable, global impact. They also help rally the wider ecosystem, industrial partners, suppliers, experts, employees around a shared dynamic of responsible innovation.
In this context, FAIRMAT brings a concrete solution through its ability to supply a durable material that meets the demanding requirements of high‑level sports equipment. FAIRMAT's recycled carbon composites offer exceptional properties especially in terms of lightness and stiffness, while preserving feel and performance during play. Combining Babolat’s longstanding expertise in racquet design with FAIRMAT's technology enables the integration of recycled and recyclable carbon composites into Babolat racquets. Beyond new materials, Babolat embraces a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment approach, fully aligned with FAIRMAT's circular‑economy vision.
Aldric Bourgier, Chief Innovation & Developpement Officer, Babolat:
“True innovation means questioning ourselves and rethinking equipment from the earliest stages, integrating eco‑design principles without compromising the performance at the heart of the game. With FAIRMAT, we are moving toward genuinely sustainable performance by combining low‑impact materials with technical expertise. This collaboration paves the way for future, more sustainable innovations designed across the entire product lifecycle.”
A fast‑growing composites market
Carbon fiber continues to dominate the market for modern sports equipment. Padel rackets made from carbon fiber are rapidly growing in popularity and now account for more than 42% of the materials market, thanks to their durability and high performance1. In tennis racquets, carbon fiber and aluminum represent approximately 64% and 22% of global sales respectively2. Meanwhile, the sports composites market, valued at USD 4.7 billion in 2023, is expected to exceed USD 8 billion by 20323. Carbon fiber is the fastest‑growing segment, with nearly 10% annual growth, driven by the demand for lighter, more durable, higher‑performance equipment. FAIRMAT's “plug‑and‑play” approach offers second‑generation composites compatible with existing industrial processes without requiring major production line changes.
Benjamin Saada, Founder & CEO, FAIRMAT:
“This collaboration with Babolat demonstrates that FAIRMAT materials can be used in sports equipment here, racquets, where technical requirements are extremely high, without altering performance. Together, we are developing strategic resources for sports equipment made from reclaimed aerospace‑grade materials, with no compromise on performance. Our ambition is clear: to make sustainable performance the new industry standard.”
FAIRMAT accelerates the move toward sustainable high performance across industries
This partnership marks a new chapter in FAIRMAT's development. It illustrates the circular‑economy model the company promotes by closing the loop between industrial waste and new high‑value applications. It also signals FAIRMAT's ambition to position recycled carbon as the reference material for future eco‑responsible innovations in sports and, more broadly, across performance‑equipment industries.
About FAIRMAT:
Founded in 2020 by Benjamin Saada, FAIRMAT addresses a major challenge: the surge in waste and the scarcity of high‑performance materials. Through a deeptech approach, FAIRMAT not only recycles but fully closes the loop on material life cycles by reinventing industrial processes. Its FairFactories in France and the United States are smart, agile, automated plants integrating robotics, software, AI and machine learning for highly efficient and scalable production.
With its new patented Infinity Recycling technology, FAIRMAT goes even further, enabling near‑infinite recycling through a cold‑plasma process that recovers carbon fiber intact.
After raising €8.6M in Seed funding in 2021 and €34M in Series A funding in 2022, FAIRMAT secured €51.5M in April 2025 (including €26.5M in equity and €25M in venture debt from the European Investment Bank). Backed by new investors: Bpifrance Large Venture, Slate VC and Cape Capital alongside existing shareholders Singular, Temasek, CNP and Pictet Group, the company completed an additional €10M equity extension in October 2025 with the European fund Infinity Recycling. FAIRMAT employs 100 people.
About Babolat:
A pioneer in sports innovation, Babolat created the first tennis strings in 1875, the same year the rules of tennis were established. As the oldest international company dedicated to tennis, Babolat has supported generations of champions : René Lacoste, Suzanne Lenglen and Björn Borg all played with VS strings. Babolat launched its first racquets in 1994 and won its first Grand Slam in 1998 at Roland‑Garros with Carlos Moyá, the first of many.
Still family‑owned after five generations, Babolat offers a complete range of equipment for tennis, badminton and padel: racquets, strings, shoes, apparel, balls, shuttlecocks, bags and accessories. The brand equips over 500 professional athletes worldwide, including Rafael Nadal (ESP), Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Juan Lebron (ESP). Babolat is present in 20,000 clubs across 150 countries, with subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium and China. The company is also proud of its exclusive partnerships with prestigious organizations such as Wimbledon, Club Med, Automobili Lamborghini and Michelin.
