Family-run business D-Style has launched a product billed as ‘the world’s only fully-retractable ball thrower made entirely from recycled and sustainable materials’.
The Kompact9, which is manufactured in the UK, has a unique telescopic design to lessen the launcher to the length of a school ruler. This, combined with a drawstring cover, make it both portable and hygienic, keeping hands and pockets drool-free.
This ‘breakthrough’ ball launcher concept was designed by aerospace engineer Alex Richardson, now operations director at D-Style, who said he was ‘really fed up with
lugging a long and cumbersome ball thrower about and dealing with more than a little dog slobber every time we left the park’.
He said: “The inconvenience of carrying it around drove us nuts and we felt that there had to be a better way.”
EASY TO USE
But portability was not the sole premise for the product. Alex explained: “By producing a telescopic shaft and a ball cup designed to release the ball with greater ease than most throwers, we were able to create a ball launcher that was simple and easy to use for all. Age and physical mobility shouldn’t impact your ability to play and connect with your dog.”
Engineered from 100% plant-based plastics, the Kompact9 ball launcher is made in Devon using injection-moulding technology, with parts produced from recyclable bioplastic pellets made from sugar cane, beetroot and hemp fibre. But the green credentials don’t stop there – the drawstring hygiene cover is also made exclusively from recycled plastic bottles.
Karen Richardson-Scarfe, managing director at D-Style, says how creating a product that was ethically made and environmentally friendly was central to the company’s vision. “For us it was fundamental that the business should not negatively impact the environment and our product should be ethically made. Our supply chain has been devised to minimise our carbon footprint and recycle water during the manufacturing phase. We’ve even made sure that the label sealing the packaging is recycled which, believe it or not, was the hardest part to source.”
The Kompact9 retails at £17.50.
