Case study
Enabling ski recycling by reversible bonding with Pontacol®
JACOMET Ski pioneers more circular ski design with Pontacol® thermoplastic adhesive films. By replacing irreversible epoxy resins with a de-bondable film adhesive, this modular construction approach sets a new benchmark for circular economy in winter sports manufacturing.
JACOMET Ski, a Swiss manufacturer specializing in sustainable, high-performance ski production, set out to develop a ski construction system that would allow skis to be repaired, reused, and fully recycled at end of life — without compromising on performance.
The goal: replace irreversible adhesives in ski manufacturing with a de-bondable thermoplastic solution and establish a new standard for circular production in the winter sports industry. The key was to find a reversible bonding technology that could withstand the extreme mechanical and climatic stresses of alpine use, while enabling clean material disassembly again on demand under defined conditions.
The goal: replace irreversible adhesives in ski manufacturing with a de-bondable thermoplastic solution and establish a new standard for circular production in the winter sports industry. The key was to find a reversible bonding technology that could withstand the extreme mechanical and climatic stresses of alpine use, while enabling clean material disassembly again on demand under defined conditions.
A modern ski is a sophisticated multi-material composite - titanium-aluminum alloys, glass and carbon fibers, PA11, PA12, ABS, TPU, wood, PU foam, UHMW-PE, rubber, and steel edges. While each individual material has recycling or reuse potential, conventional ski manufacturing bonds all layers together with irreversible resins. This makes clean separation technically and economically unfeasible, and most skis end up shredded or in landfill at end of life.
The central development question was: how do you create a bond strong enough to withstand mechanical stress, temperature fluctuations, and moisture in alpine environments, yet fully reversible under controlled conditions? Overcoming this recycling barrier in multi-layer composite stacks was the key design problem to solve.
The central development question was: how do you create a bond strong enough to withstand mechanical stress, temperature fluctuations, and moisture in alpine environments, yet fully reversible under controlled conditions? Overcoming this recycling barrier in multi-layer composite stacks was the key design problem to solve.
Together with Covestro, JACOMET Ski has developed a modular construction system enabled by Pontacol® thermoplastic adhesive films. Applied between each layer of the ski stack, the multilayer film, creating a durable, high-performance bond across all substrates, including titanium-aluminum alloys, carbon fiber, TPU, and wood core, without liquid primers or VOC emissions. In addition, thermoplastic bonding allows bonding of titanium-aluminum alloys without conventional surface pre-treatment, such as mechanical abrasion or phosphoric acid anodising. This can simplify the manufacturing process and reduce the use of chemicals.
Simon Jacomet, owner of JACOMET Ski, refers to this approach as “Full TP Technology.” Behind this lies the concept he developed for an integrated ski construction, in which thermoplastic technology is consistently applied throughout the entire ski structure and is not limited to individual joints. His approach goes beyond simply joining materials: it makes the composite material itself a design parameter, thereby enabling the interaction between force transmission, elasticity and vibration damping to be deliberately engineered.
Simon Jacomet, owner of JACOMET Ski, refers to this approach as “Full TP Technology.” Behind this lies the concept he developed for an integrated ski construction, in which thermoplastic technology is consistently applied throughout the entire ski structure and is not limited to individual joints. His approach goes beyond simply joining materials: it makes the composite material itself a design parameter, thereby enabling the interaction between force transmission, elasticity and vibration damping to be deliberately engineered.
With Pontacol® thermoplastic adhesive films, we have created a ski that can be repaired, reused, and fully recycled. High performance and circular economy are not a contradiction — they are a design choice. This is a blueprint for the entire winter sports industry.
If the top sheet, base and steel edges are damaged or worn, targeted hot air application allows for rapid removal and replacement, extending the ski's service life. At the end of life, controlled thermal de-bonding at 140°C separates all layers cleanly, enabling pure metal, fiber, and polymer recycling streams.
As a solid hot-melt adhesive film, Pontacol® eliminates solvents, reduces cycle times, and supports circular composite manufacturing at industrial scale – proving that high performance and end-of-life responsibility are a design choice, not a trade-off.
As a solid hot-melt adhesive film, Pontacol® eliminates solvents, reduces cycle times, and supports circular composite manufacturing at industrial scale – proving that high performance and end-of-life responsibility are a design choice, not a trade-off.
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Key benefits
- Supports circularity: Enabling full material recovery/separate recycling of all layers at end of life.
- Allows for repair: Hot air application enables individual component replacement, extending service life.
- Efficient: Precise film application reduces material waste and improves ski manufacturing processes.
- Durable: Reliable bond strength between a wide variety of composite materials.
- Zero VOC: Solvent-free solid film eliminates VOC emissions throughout the bonding process.
