{"id":4404,"date":"2026-07-12T23:49:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/?post_type=news&p=4404"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:40:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T10:40:30","slug":"mitani-recycled-paddle","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/mitani-recycled-paddle\/","title":{"rendered":"When aircraft offcuts become paddles: Mitani Sangyo takes on carbon recycling in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pickleball paddle has become, without question, a tool in a carbon race. Fiberglass faces, once the mainstream, have given way to carbon fiber in the upper models, and the stronger the player, the stronger the tendency to move up to an expensive carbon model. Fiberglass is still in active use in the entry and mid price bands, though, so the material has not been replaced across the board. Into that comes an unusual move out of Japan: making paddles from carbon fiber recycled out of offcuts from aircraft manufacturing. Mirai Kasei of the Mitani Sangyo group is behinda next-generation paddle developed with Bs Co., Ltd., which runs the Higashi-Osaka brand TOCO<\/a>. A prototype sample gets its first public showing at SPORTEC2026 on July 8-10, 2026, where visitors can hit with it. Why does a chemicals group that is not an equipment maker step into the tools of the sport? Three angles are worth digging into: materials, sustainability and domestic production.<\/p>\n\n

\"\u822a\u7a7a\u6a5f\u7528CFRP\u7aef\u6750\u304b\u3089\u70ad\u7d20\u7e4a\u7dad\u4e0d\u7e54\u5e03\u3068\u30d1\u30c9\u30eb\u3078\u81f3\u308b\u7d20\u6750\u5de5\u7a0b\"<\/figure>\n\n

Aircraft carbon fiber reborn as a paddle face<\/h2>\n

The heart of this paddle is the face material. The raw material is offcuts generated during the manufacture of aircraft-grade CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) containing Toray's high-strength T800 carbon fiber. Mirai Kasei recovers and recycles the carbon fiber from those offcuts, processes it into a nonwoven fabric and forms the face from it. Using aircraft-grade fiber is meant to combine light weight with high strength and to give a feel that catches the ball for an instant before sending it back.<\/p>\n

The division of roles is clear as well. Mirai Kasei (Chikuma, Nagano), whose parent is Mitani Sangyo of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, handles recycling and molding, while Bs (TOCO) takes product design and brand strategy. Toray, the source of the material, supports with expertise in recycling T800 plus design and evaluation, and Teijin joined for resin selection and impregnation to secure durability. Having both of the country's major carbon fiber makers standing behind a single paddle is rare in Japan.<\/p>\n\n

The long-running problem of carbon fiber that gets thrown away<\/h2>\n

This prototype is not an environmental PR stunt. CFRP is light and strong, but the resin and fiber are bonded so tightly that recycling is difficult, and the more aircraft and cars adopt it, the heavier the burden of handling scrap and offcuts becomes. Research into recycling it is still thin both in Japan and abroad.<\/p>\n

At its research base in Misawa, Mirai Kasei has refined a solvent process that dissolves the resin with chemicals, regenerating the fiber while preserving its length and properties as far as possible. In fiscal 2023 the work was selected for a NEDO program in this field. The Mitani Sangyo group has set out to build a supply chain linking offcut collection, recycling and a molded-product business, and the paddle makes an ideal showcase for putting those recycled carbon fiber moldings (rCFRP) in front of consumers.<\/p>\n\n

Where domestic paddles stand: the TOCO lineup and where this prototype fits<\/h2>\n

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Model<\/th>Face material<\/th>Reference price<\/th>Position<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
EMBER\uff08TPR-101\uff09<\/td>Fiberglass<\/td>7,800 yen<\/td>Entry Model<\/td><\/tr>
EVOL\uff08TPR-501\uff09<\/td>Toray T700 RAW carbon<\/td>24,800 yen<\/td>Control-oriented, 16mm thick<\/td><\/tr>
FORZA<\/td>T700 Carbon<\/td>\u2014<\/td>Power and attack oriented<\/td><\/tr>
Prototype paddle (SPORTEC2026)<\/td>Recycled T800 carbon fiber nonwoven<\/td>Undecided<\/td>Sustainability proof of concept, first public showing<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n

Where the production models use virgin T700 carbon, this prototype puts recycled aircraft-derived T800, fiber that would otherwise be thrown away, on the face. Putting what is normally a higher grade of fiber on the face in recycled form turns the usual order on its head, and it tests whether a domestic maker can carve out its own identity through materials. Whether recycled T800 in nonwoven form can deliver the same playing performance as virgin T700 carbon is a separate question, and that has to wait for a production version and on-court testing. Where domestic makers stand on equipment is easier to place next toMizuno's full-scale entry with five paddle models<\/a>, which makes the overall trend easier to follow.<\/p>\n\n

The stage: what SPORTEC2026 means as a venue<\/h2>\n

SPORTEC2026, chosen for the first showing, is one of Japan's largest sports and health industry trade shows, held at Tokyo Big Sight East Halls. Getting the value across through the feel of a hit rather than a materials pitch, by way of test hits, shows how serious this effort is.<\/p>\n

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