Each year, a staggering 300 million tennis balls are manufactured worldwide for one of the most popular sports. However, most of these balls are discarded after their short lifespan on the court, adding to the already overwhelming amounts of waste. Addressing this issue, Belgian eco-designer Mathilde Wittock has developed a unique and sustainable way to repurpose these discarded tennis balls into bespoke furniture. Through her innovative approach, Wittock ensures that the rubber and felt from the balls don’t end up in landfills, contributing to a circular economy that promotes sustainability and waste reduction.
Wittock and her dedicated team are capable of hand-carving up to 1,800 tennis balls per day, transforming them into micro-cushioning elements for her two flagship furniture pieces: a chaise lounge and a bench. The process of creating these high-quality pieces is no small feat. Wittock estimates that around 70,000 tennis balls were used in the recently concluded US Open alone, which highlights the abundance of materials available for her project. Though it takes between two to three weeks to complete one of these furniture items, the final result is well worth the wait. The fuzz on the tennis balls is dyed to match interior design preferences, giving the furniture a stylish and sophisticated appearance while maintaining comfort and durability.
“It takes around 24 different manufacturing steps to make a tennis ball, which is around five days,” Wittock shared during a video call with CNN from Brussels. “Then it has such a short lifespan.” She further explained her inspiration behind the project: “I was looking into tennis balls because I played tennis myself, so I know there is a lot of waste.” As someone with a deep understanding of the game, Wittock saw an opportunity to transform a problem into a creative and eco-friendly solution.
Tennis balls are notoriously difficult to dispose of sustainably. Filled with gas to give them their iconic bounce, they are typically sealed in airtight containers that resemble soup cans. Once the container is opened and the balls are exposed to air, the gas slowly leaks out, causing the balls to lose their bounce and become unfit for play. Despite their short usefulness on the court, tennis balls take an astonishing 400 years to decompose in a landfill—assuming they aren’t repurposed as dog toys first. Wittock’s furniture not only extends the lifespan of these tennis balls but also helps address the waste crisis in a meaningful way.
Wittock sources her materials primarily from sports clubs and organizations. For instance, the Federation of Wallonia in Belgium recently donated its entire stock of 100,000 used tennis balls, which Wittock estimates will last her around nine months of production. The availability of such a large supply of discarded tennis balls highlights the untapped potential for eco-friendly design solutions. Wittock emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to eco-design: “Eco-design is about circularity. You can use great materials that are low carbon emission or recycled, but you need to think of the end cycle,” she explained. “If it’s not a circle, and if you can’t reuse the elements into something else, it’s not eco-design. It’s even worse because it’s new materials.”
In line with this philosophy, Wittock’s furniture pieces are designed with the future in mind. Owners of her bespoke creations are encouraged to return their furniture once it has reached the end of its usable life. Wittock’s team will then remove and burn away the fuzz, leaving the rubber shells intact. These rubber remnants are then shredded and repurposed into bouncy play mats for children, completing the cycle of reuse. By closing the loop in this way, Wittock ensures that every element of her furniture can serve a new purpose, further reducing waste and promoting sustainability.
Mathilde Wittock’s work offers a glimpse into the future of sustainable design, where materials once considered waste are transformed into beautiful, functional, and eco-friendly products. Her efforts not only bring attention to the environmental challenges posed by the tennis industry but also demonstrate the power of innovation in addressing global waste issues. Through her commitment to circularity, Wittock is paving the way for a more sustainable and responsible approach to design, one tennis ball at a time.
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