Thirty seconds and two points. This is approximately the length of the professional career of this shuttlecock used during the mixed match between the Korean pair Seo-Chae and the Danish doubles Thyrri-Magelund. Contested in three hooked sets, this round of 16 French International Badminton Championships was won by the Scandinavians in just under an hour. An hour during which 19 feather shuttlecocks will have been used. A figure which is not unusual in the tournament which usually takes place in Paris. Relocated to the Glaz Arena in Cesson-Sévigné, near Rennes, the event offers quite a spectacle. Until Sunday, the best badminton players in the world will compete in the hope of conquering this tournament with a prize money of 850,000 dollars, sponsored by Yonex. For the Japanese brand, these six days of competition are an unmissable opportunity to impose its own steering wheels.
Last year, a total of 3,472 shuttles were used, or 290 boxes. So imagine what this will mean for the Paris 2024 Olympics. “Over the year, I won’t even be able to say how many we spend. We train twice a day, we play all the time. It’s not quantifiable. I think it would shock,” recognizes Thom Gicquel. Lucid, the best French mixed player admits that he “almost never” thinks about the quantity he uses. “We are princesses, especially me. As soon as there is a little thing on a nib, I change it. Sometimes we even do it to break the rhythm of a match,” he concedes. Her partner Delphine Delrue admits that she sometimes thinks about it. “The problem is that we grew up with the pen and we cannot do otherwise. Today, there is no alternative for us,” explains the 24-year-old player, eliminated on Wednesday, alongside Thom Gicquel, in the round of 16 of the IFB. Please note that damaged shuttlecocks are then reused for training exercises or given to clubs.
Ten million shuttlecocks thrown away each year, including eight million feathers
Badminton is not the only one to “consume” projectiles in this way. The problem with the steering wheel is that it is very fragile and that it incorporates an animal part which weighs heavily on the environmental footprint of this sport. Made from 16 goose feathers (higher quality) or duck feathers, the shuttlecock also contains cork in its cap, string and a small dose of glue to hold everything together. Almost entirely manufactured in Asia, the projectiles capable of flying at more than 400 km/h are the subject of an incredible selection before crossing the world in cargo ships. But at what cost ? How many poultry must be plucked to satisfy the requirements of badists?
In France, it is estimated that 10 million shuttlecocks are thrown away each year, including 8 million feathers and 2 million nylon. The point here is not to overwhelm but to make an observation. Rather reserved for beginners and leisure players, the plastic version constitutes the vast majority of models sold on the European market. More resistant, this nylon steering wheel has the advantage of being able to last a year. But it doesn’t fly in the same way, imitating the trajectory of a parabola. Inconceivable for anyone who tries a little. Representative of the Yonex brand in France, Patrick Lauret estimates the share of plastic sales in France at around 70%.
“Europe has a majority of leisure enthusiasts,” he confides. Competitors only represent a third of the market. It is quite the opposite in Asia. Everyone plays it with a pen. All the goose farms are there. » Imagine the quantity of animals that must be provided to satisfy the passion of millions of Indians, Chinese or Indonesians, completely crazy about this sport even though it is named in reference to Badminton Castle, in the county of Gloucestershire. , in England.
More than 200 million licensees worldwide
In most Asian countries, badminton is one of the most popular sports and it is estimated that there are more than 200 million players worldwide. France may have set a record of more than 200,000 licensees last year, but it weighs very little in this global economy. “Since the Covid-19 epidemic, the practice has literally exploded in Asia, it’s crazy,” assures Patrick Lauret. A boon for the brand it represents, which powers its manufacturing plants. In what conditions ? We’re not going to lie to you, we don’t know. Like ready-to-wear brands, brands communicate little about their manufacturing sites, where the design of these ruffles still remains very manual. Complex, it requires a lot of labor to integrate the sixteen feathers and tie the threads that hold them. The video from the English brand RSL presented below will tell you a little more about the manufacturing technique. But not on the living conditions of animals raised to be plucked. Nor on the working conditions of employees.
The use of an animal source can pose an ethical question to all those who use them. Besides, can you be vegan and play competitive badminton? In France, all official matches must be played in feathers if the opponents are classified at least D9, which is equivalent to a small departmental level. Like his brothers and his partner, Vincent has been playing badminton since he was little in the Rennes region. A fan of the pen, he has wondered a lot about its use since his professional retraining in environmental protection. “Feather ruffles raise the question of animal welfare. How are they collected? There is little information on this subject,” believes the amateur player. Committed, Vincent “limits his consumption of feathers as much as possible” and for a time opted for Qetzal ruffles. Created in 2018 by a player who wanted to be more respectful of the environment, the French brand has since disappeared.
From 20 to 50 euros per box of 12 shuttlecocks
This failure is undoubtedly proof that in the small world of bad, the consumption of feather shuttlecocks does not seem to be of much concern. For many practitioners, it is more the question of price that slows down the purchase. For a box of 12, you will need to count between 20 and 50 euros. In the budget of an assiduous competitor, admit that this can weigh heavily. “I think a lot of amateur players move on too quickly. It is obvious that feather and nylon do not have the same trajectory. But many people can have a lot of fun by sticking to nylon. Our level slider for switching to the pen is too low,” says Yohan Penel.
Elected in 2020, the president of the French Bad Federation works daily on the impact of his sport on the environment. A recently published study showed that all practices generated 100 tonnes of waste per year, divided between shuttlecocks, ropes and tubes. Widely practiced in schools, badminton attempts to carry out educational activities with clubs in order to make them aware of these issues, particularly with coaches of young people who would like to throw their foals too quickly with feathers. “They have plenty of time. We must remember that this is not a necessity,” insists Yohan Penel.
Tons of recycled and transformed steering wheels
To try to reduce the environmental impact, the new team at the head of the federation has established a partnership with the company Compo’Plume. Based in Remouille, in Loire-Atlantique, the start-up is the only one in France to recycle feather shuttlecocks. It produces designer furniture such as tables and insulation, simply by a grinding process. “In 2022, we collected 1.5 tonnes of shuttlecocks. And for 2023, we are already at 1.8 tonnes. We know that the deposit is enormous, probably around 40 tonnes per year,” testifies Emy Rivaud, one of the company’s three employees.
To get by financially, Compo’Plume makes the clubs pay the price of the collection, i.e. 27 euros for a box of around 700 shuttlecocks. “Some fill one a week. We could undoubtedly collect a lot more but we have to find outlets behind it. » The small business will not be able to handle everything. Volunteers told us that a good number of boxes went in the trash during the French championships organized at the start of the year in Cesson-Sévigné.
In Asia, the environmental question does not even arise
The solution will come from manufacturers and their ability to innovate. Hybrid steering wheels described as more resistant have been marketed, but they do not satisfy competitors. “If they find me a solution, I’m interested. But it will be complicated to change. The feather, we know its sound, its touch. I doubt that they will be able to reproduce the same thing in synthetic,” says French number one Thom Gicquel. “It’s up to brands to innovate for our licensees. We need to find materials capable of reproducing the asymmetrical trajectory of the feather which causes the shuttlecock to brake and fall,” continues Yohan Penel.
At Yonex, we have not yet opted for hybrid. But we assure you that the subject is the subject of intense research and development work. “Yonex has developed a steering wheel with carbon feathers that has a longer lifespan but it has not yet been launched. Ultimately, I’m sure we’ll have synthetics but for now, the feel is too different,” admits Patrick Lauret. The Yonex representative in France reminds us in passing that our environmental considerations are “very European” and that the issue probably does not even arise in Asia, where brands can continue to sell their steering wheel tubes by the millions. “I think the pen still has a bright future,” admits the French representative. Why change a product that sells so well?