The World Badminton Federation (BWF) has begun testing synthetic badminton shuttlecocks at lower-level tournaments with the goal of potentially using them at the professional level in the future. This is intended to address the shortage of duck and goose feathers.
The BWF will test synthetic badminton at junior tournaments due to a shortage of feathers - Photo: BWF
The BWF has accelerated plans to introduce synthetic badminton shuttlecocks that look and feel like feather shuttlecocks.
The BWF has approved the use of synthetic badminton shuttlecocks in certain tournaments. These include synthetic shuttlecocks manufactured by Victor and Yonex. They will be used in BWF Level 3 tournaments and international junior tournaments.
The BWF stated: "This initiative is part of the BWF's long-term approach to evaluating synthetic badminton for use at the professional level. The trial will include collecting manufacturer performance data, along with feedback from athletes, technical officials and event organizers."
This information will support the BWF's trial evaluation process and inform future decisions regarding the use of synthetic badminton at top tournaments.
Badminton shuttlecock production relies heavily on the supply of duck and goose feathers. A high-quality shuttlecock requires 16 carefully selected feathers, usually taken from the wings of ducks or geese.
However, avian flu outbreaks, the growing popularity of badminton, and the return of pork to the menus of Chinese consumers— the world's largest badminton producer—are among the factors contributing to the rising cost of traditional badminton.
Woody Mao, an export supplier of badminton in Zhejiang, said that the price of duck and goose feathers has more than doubled since the end of 2022. Meanwhile, duck and goose production in China has declined sharply in recent years.
The China Livestock Association reported that 4.22 billion ducks and 569 million geese were slaughtered in 2024. This represents a 10% decrease from the peak in 2019.