Decathlon, a global leading multi-specialist sports brand, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with FAIRMAT, a French deep-tech company specializing in the advanced recycling and transformation of aeronautical carbon composites.
Together, FAIRMAT and Decathlon Kuikma have co-developed a padel racket whose carbon-fibre hitting face is made from recycled carbon fibre instead of virgin material, keeping premium playing performance while cutting the face’s carbon footprint by up to 31%.
This collaboration marks a turning point in the brand’s ambition to compete at the elite level of professional padel while staying true to a core commitment: significantly reducing the products environmental footprint without compromising on performance.
In padel, innovation and consistency are key, and this philosophy defines the new collaboration with FAIRMAT, connecting perfectly with Decathlon’s sporting culture.
Aeronautical carbon, recycled for your game
For the new KUIKMA Power Carbon LTD, the brand’s design team replaced standard virgin carbon on the racket’s hitting face with recycled carbon of aerospace origin. Derived from carbon materials originally intended for aircraft construction, this high-performance material is mechanically recycled by FAIRMAT using AI, robotics and data, giving it a second life on the padel court while significantly reducing environmental impact.
Measurable benefits & elite performance
The environmental impact of this new approach is significant. An independent Life-Cycle Assessment shows that FAIRMAT’s recycled carbon emits up to 20 times less CO₂e than virgin carbon*. By utilizing this low-energy mechanical recycling process, this technology is helping keep aerospace carbon out of landfills while avoiding the high emissions of traditional chemical or thermal recycling methods. Furthermore, this opens a route for the racket parts to be potentially recycled all over again at the end of their playing life, in line with FAIRMAT’s ongoing R&D work.
The KUIKMA Power Carbon LTD has successfully passed all rigorous feasibility, usability, and durability tests. To directly link this material innovation to the highest competitive standards, recycled aerospace-grade carbon technology will also be incorporated into other product ranges of padel experts rackets, ensuring excellent control and power for the most demanding players.
“At Decathlon Kuikma, our goal is to deliver high-performance equipment for expert players while actively lowering our environmental footprint. Working with FAIRMAT allows us to do exactly that: replacing virgin carbon with recycled aerospace materials to reduce the hitting face’s carbon footprint by 31%—proving that sustainable innovation matches the highest standards of power, control, and durability on the court,” said Caroline Gillet, director of Decathlon Kuikma Padel.
An exclusive first edition
This collaboration with FAIRMAT is part of a continuous effort to find a better balance between technical performance and environmental responsibility. The KUIKMA Power Carbon LTD will be introduced as an exclusive run of 1,000 units. It will be available in selected stores and across Decathlon’s European e-commerce platforms starting in early February 2027, maintaining the accessible price of € 130.
In the long term, Decathlon’s ambition is to deploy this technology across all Kuikma expert padel rackets and potentially other sporting goods.