Sustainability update for 2024
This year for Earth Day, we wanted to do more than just update you on our progress – we wanted to actually get out there and physically make an effort, to plant some trees, clean up parks and ideally, make some tennis courts a little nicer for everyone be around. Spring always inspires us to get outside, with new flowers and blooms, plus courts start to reopen for outdoor play. We weren't able to do that this year and while it wasn't for not wanting to, it reminded us how difficult making sustainability progress is and how important it is to stay committed to making changes. With that in mind, we’re committing to continuing to make an effort all year long, so stay tuned for new product announcements, events and more ways to work with us as we continue to make progress repairing the damage we’ve all done to the world we live in.
Regarding our brand progress, we continue to think we’re one of the best and are working to improve that. We’re focused on making quality products first, so you get the best of what you can in a tennis product, and are working to bring sustainability where we can within that framework. Some of our accomplishments this year include:
- We now exclusively use recycled polyester or nylon in our apparel products instead of new fibers
- ~88% of synthetic fabric content used for 2024 is recycled (the remainder is spandex), a slight improvement vs. 2023
- 100% of our new styles/fabrics are made primarily from recycled material
- We use better, premium natural fibers
- All new natural fibers for our apparel is SUPIMA® cotton or Tencel® lyocell
- Developing new accessories with recycled cotton where possible
- Innovating with organic/vegan materials for new non-apparel products
- All fabrics we use are from OEKO-TEX® certified mills
- Most fabric suppliers are also bluesign® and have sustainability commitments
- Anti-odor/bacterial solutions and non-PFC waterproofing extend product life
- Packaging is better or best, with all polybags made from bio-based compostable material and mailers from FSC recycled kraft paper
- 2ndServ continues to be a circularity option that we offer – although we generally recommend donating or recycling used clothing locally if available
Some of the things we are working on:
- Adding new suppliers and products that improve upon our sustainability commitments and ensuring those suppliers have the highest standards of quality and certifications
- Our key material fabric suppliers are already all at a very high standard, but we are continuing to expand that high standard to factory, accessory and trim suppliers
- Finding better alternatives to spandex/elastane. We’re hopeful that we may have an option to replace spandex at some point soon
- Potentially using bio-based materials in the future to replace synthetics
- Continuing to have a process of sustainability improvement in our product design, development and sourcing to ensure that we’re doing the best we can with the tech and resources available to us
- Feel free to message or email us if you have recommendations!
Check out some of our prior sustainability updates for other things you can do to improve the community and environment you live in.