Dots. will give millions of tennis and padel balls a new life

Every year, millions of padel and tennis balls are thrown away – even if they are still intact. This sparked an idea in Mikkel, an entrepreneur and tennis enthusiast, who is now behind the company Dots.Recycling. With support from Closing Loops and partners from the logistics, retail, and technology industries, the goal is clear: padel and tennis balls should no longer end up as waste – they should be recycled and provide value in new circular products.

An idea that began on the court

The inspiration came at the B93 tennis courts in Østerbro, Copenhagen, where Mikkel was playing tennis and noticed the huge number of balls being used – and quickly discarded.

“It felt wrong to throw away something that wasn’t defective. When a padel or tennis ball is discarded, it’s less about wear and tear – it’s primarily because the internal pressure drops, and the ball loses its performance. But the material itself is still intact.”

– Mikkel, founder of Dots.Recycling

With balls stacked in the basement of his Nørrebro apartment, he started experimenting. In kindergartens, tennis balls are used as furniture protectors – could the balls’ durable felt be used more systematically? The thought turned into action, and Dots.Recycling was established.

From basement to value chain collaboration

The first breakthrough came when Mikkel became aware of Closing Loops through an acquaintance and the so-called value chain check – a method for identifying new circular potentials. With the help of Clean and other partners, he not only mapped out the possibilities but also tested concrete solutions, such as sorting-friendly packaging and methods for reusing the balls’ pressure and material.

“This is where the final piece fell into place. We confirmed that there is both environmental and commercial potential – and with the right partners, we can actually scale this up.” – says Mikkel

2 million balls – and the start of something bigger

Dots.Recycling is now at the forefront of an ambitious value chain collaboration to reuse and recycle over 2 million balls by 2026. This corresponds to a reduction of 1,761 tons of CO₂ and 130 tons of waste. Looking ahead to 2030, an annual collection of 20 million balls could save the climate 4,370 tons of CO₂.

This is achieved through a new circular model for the ball’s lifecycle:

• Collection and logistics are handled by a specially developed software solution from Multillo ApS.
• Automated sorting and quality checks are developed in collaboration with Bila and Dansk Maskin Vision.
• The balls are given new life as products under four concepts: Dots.Replay (reuse), Dots.Funball (play), Dots.Feltpads (furniture protection), and Dots.Floor (flooring).
• Together with Sport24, a new sorting-friendly packaging solution is being developed – which will also ensure that the solution reaches all the way to the consumer.

A ball worth playing on with

It started with a sense of waste – and ended with a business idea that unites the environment and the market. For Mikkel, Dots.Recycling is not just about recycling but about changing how we view resources: that something which has lost its pressure hasn’t necessarily lost its value.

“This is not just a project I’m working on. It’s something I believe in – because I can see that it makes a difference,” he says.

With support from the Danish board of Business development and the European Union through the Closing Loops program, Dots has found a strong community of companies working on practical circular solutions. Here, it is possible to go from idea to action – and from ball to sustainability.

In collaboration with partners such as Multilo, Dansk Maskin Vision, Bila, and Sport24, a complete value chain has been created: from collection and sorting to new life and new products. A circular system that makes sense for both the environment – and the market.

Dots.Recycling still has a ball in its hand. But now, it’s not about serving an ace – it’s about serving an idea that can be felt far beyond the court.

Project partners in the value chain

• Dots.Recycling ApS – Project manager, value chain development, and product responsibility
• Multilo ApS – Logistics and tracking systems
• Dansk Maskin Vision ApS – Image recognition and data technology
• Bila A/S – Sorting and packaging systems
• Sport24 A/S – Retail partner and market introduction
• Clean – Project facilitation