Our Commitment to a More Sustainable Future
At Mantis Sport, our love for the game of tennis goes hand in hand with a deep responsibility to the planet. It’s a core part of who we are—our commitment to environmental sustainability isn’t a side note, but a guiding principle in how we design, produce and operate. We believe that the true spirit of sport includes caring for our world, and our pledge is to put that belief into meaningful action.
Our Partnerships & Purpose
We’re proud to partner with the charity Recyc-a-Ball, who share our vision of reducing tennis’ environmental footprint. Together we’re working on initiatives that keep tennis balls out of landfill, support recycling efforts and ensure that the sport we love doesn’t cost the Earth. This partnership is a tangible way for us to deliver on sustainability—not just through words, but through real, measurable impact.
Our Commitments
To anchor our journey in credible benchmarks and external accountability, Mantis Sport is committing to the following frameworks:
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) – Aligning our operations with science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets.
SME Climate Hub – Engaging with the Hub’s guidance and carbon-emissions calculator.
Better Business Act – Supporting the movement that calls for businesses to balance profit with people and planet.
By publicly declaring these commitments, we hold ourselves accountable—and invite our community to follow along with our progress.
Better Products. Better Processes.
Sustainability at Mantis isn’t just about what happens to a product at the end of its life. We believe some of the biggest improvements can be made much earlier — by questioning how products are manufactured in the first place.
Our new Mantis Premium Overgrips are a great example.
A More Considered Way to Make a Grip
Most players probably don’t spend much time thinking about how their overgrip is made. We do.
When developing our latest overgrips, we deliberately looked for a manufacturing process that could deliver the soft, tacky feel and dependable performance we wanted, while reducing the environmental impact associated with production.
The result is an overgrip manufactured using a water-based, solvent-free production process, helping to reduce VOC emissions compared with more traditional solvent-based manufacturing.
For us, that matters.
We don’t believe making products more responsibly should mean accepting lower performance. Our aim is to find better ways of producing the equipment players use every day — without compromising how that equipment performs on court.
Designed to Work Harder
We’ve also incorporated a herbal botanical deodorising extract into the material, giving the grip antibacterial properties and helping it stay fresher during regular play.
Independent testing demonstrated a bacterial reduction rate of more than 99.9% against common strains including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
Combined with the soft, tacky surface players expect from a premium overgrip, it means we’ve been able to think about performance, hygiene and environmental impact as part of the same product development process.
Small Product. Bigger Thinking.
An overgrip might be a relatively small piece of tennis or padel equipment, but millions of grips are used by racket sports players around the world.
That’s why we believe seemingly small improvements matter.
We’re not claiming to have solved the environmental challenges facing racket sports. Far from it. But whenever we develop a new Mantis product, we want to ask more questions about the materials being used, the way it is manufactured, how it is packaged and what we can realistically do better.
Our overgrips are one step on that journey.
Sustainable Deliveries
We use Royal Mail and FedEx to deliver Mantis orders. Both are taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of their operations, including investing in electric delivery vehicles.
Royal Mail operates the UK’s largest electric delivery van fleet. Its Steps to Zero programme includes a commitment to reach net zero by 2040, with interim targets for 2030 validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
FedEx has set a goal of achieving carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040. Its plans include transitioning its parcel collection and delivery fleet to electric vehicles, alongside investment in renewable energy and improvements in operational efficiency.
These programmes are still underway, but they represent practical steps towards reducing the emissions associated with getting your equipment to your door.
Our Sustainability Journey
We don’t pretend we’re perfect—but we believe in transparency, honesty and continuous improvement. Our sustainability story includes:
Reducing packaging and exploring recycled materials.
Working closely with suppliers to promote energy-efficient manufacturing.
Publishing our progress towards SBTi and SME Climate Hub goals.
Sharing honest updates on what’s working, what’s challenging, and what’s next.
We’ll also publish blog posts to help you play your part—for example, how to recycle old tennis balls or donate rackets to local clubs—so that sustainability extends beyond our own operations and into the wider tennis community.
Product Lifecycle & Supply Chain
We’re exploring Product Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and product carbon-footprint labelling, similar to how we share racquet weights. These insights will inform future design and material decisions. We’re also asking manufacturers what they are doing to reduce waste and emissions—and will celebrate their positive stories with our customers.
Helping your old racket find a new home
Give Your Racket a Second Life
A racket you no longer use could still have years of tennis left in it. Perhaps you’ve changed models, your game has developed or you simply have a spare gathering dust.
At Mantis, we believe giving that racket another owner is a practical way to reduce waste. That’s why we’ve partnered with Second Service, a specialist in buying and selling used tennis rackets.
Our partnership with Second Service
Through Second Service, you can sell an unwanted racket and give another player the opportunity to enjoy it.
They assess rackets for resale, professionally clean them and replace grips where needed. Their condition grading helps buyers understand what they’re purchasing, making used equipment a more accessible option for players.
For us, this partnership supports a simple aim: keeping usable equipment in play and helping prevent rackets from becoming waste or ending up in landfill.
