Decathlon launches the World’s First Padel Racket with recycled aerospace carbon in partnership with FAIRMAT
The new KUIKMA Power Carbon LTD is an exclusive limited edition padel racket integrating recycled aeronautical carbon to combine elite performance with a reduced environmental impact.
October 29, 2026
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."
- 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€.
* Carbon figures from the GreenFlex Simplified LCA (ISO 14040, 2023). These values will be updated at the end of the year, pending FAIRMAT's new LCA.
In the long term, Decathlon's ambition is to deploy this technology across all Kuikma expert padel rackets and potentially other sporting goods.
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If you would like to download the packshots of the racket in high quality, click here.
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About Decathlon
A global multi-specialist sports brand catering for everyone from beginners to top athletes, DECATHLON is an innovative manufacturer of sporting goods for all skill levels. With over 102,900 teammates and 1,902 stores worldwide, DECATHLON and its teams have been working ever since 1976 to make the joys and benefits of sport truly accessible to all.
About Decathlon Kuikma
Founded in 2019 with the ambition to develop the best padel products for all players — and particularly for experts — Kuikma is now extending its expertise to all other racket sports (tennis, badminton, pickleball, table tennis, squash, and beach tennis).
About Fairmat
FAIRMAT is a French deep-tech company turning aerospace and wind energy composite waste into high-performance, recyclable materials at no green premium - leading circularity in the carbon fiber industry. Its factories in France, the United States and China are the cornerstone of an ecosystem that combines AI, robotics and data for maximum scalability and deployability. FAIRMAT materials are already powering the sporting goods, construction and automotive sectors, proving that performance and sustainability are no longer a trade-off. Founded in 2020 by Ben Saada, the company is headquartered in Paris, has raised €112 million to date and employs 100 people.
