THELASTMILE Logistics Outside the Box
These pressurized rubber balls traverse the world—most are shipped thousands of miles from Asia to North America and Europe—and present recycling challenges because of their core design. These numbers serve up a dynamic supply chain seeking to ace circularity: of miles TENNIS BALL SUPPLY CHAINS: BoUnCiNg AROUND THE GLOBE
96% Share of global exports of tennis balls originating in Asia. North America and Europe (where most of the world’s tennis is played) are the destination for 73% of tennis ball exports. UP 32% The year-over-year increase of the average import price per tennis ball in 2022 1920’ When the first rubber-based tennis balls were introduced. In 1972, traditional white balls were changed to yellow so the TV audience could better track them. But ball design has remained virtually the same since the 1920’s: a felt covering glued to an air-filled rubber core. Penn and Wilson tennis balls dominate market share. 72% Percentage of natural rubber in professional tennis balls, as dictated by the International Tennis Federation. Meanwhile, the remaining 28% is synthetic rubber, which is made from oil. Natural rubber comes mainly from Asia, with Thailand and Indonesia dominating the world production of rubber from trees, with 36% and 25% respectively of the global export market, according to S&P. CIRCULARITY HOLDS COURT While a fully recyclable tennis ball has yet to be manufactured, circular supply chain initiatives are in full swing, including: ● Collecting balls in bulk (Vermont nonprofit RecyleBalls is one prominent organization) and reusing them as other products (e.g. dog toys and chair bottoms) or grinding them down into material for products such as horse arena surfaces and tennis courts ● Wilson’s Triniti ball, introduced in 2019, features a sturdier core that leaks less and a tough felt designed to be used for at least four outings without losing bounce or fuzz Sources: AP; S&P Global
Aryna Sabalenka, 2023 U.S. Open Women’s Singles Runner-Up
Novak Djokovic, 2023 U.S. Open Men’s Singles Champion
Coco Gau, 2023 U.S. Open Women’s Singles Champion
NEARLY 100,000 Estimated number of tennis balls used in the 2023 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, which ran for two weeks (August 28 to September 10)
330 MILLION Number of tennis balls made worldwide each year. Most end up in landfills; for example, in the United States alone, an estimated 125 million tennis balls go to landfills
MORE THAN 400 YEARS Estimated time for tennis balls to decompose
120 Inbound Logistics • September 2023
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