Ace'98 navy

From clay court to pavement: the ACE'98 innovation

Every year in France, 14 million tennis balls end up in the bin. While essential on the court, they are a genuine disaster for the planet: their lifespan is negligible (barely 30 to 60 minutes of play for professionals!) due to the rapid loss of their bounce. As a result, 97% of them end up immediately incinerated or buried in landfill, where they will take nearly 400 years to decompose while releasing microplastics and methane.

Faced with this ecological nonsense, we decided to transform this short-lived waste material into a durable product. In collaboration with several tennis clubs in the Vizela region of Portugal, located just a few kilometres from our workshops, we set up a short-circuit collection system.

The collected used balls are meticulously ground into very fine particles. This new powder is then fused with recycled synthetic rubber, then dyed and injected directly into the mould to form the thick sole and the logo of the ACE’98.

Giving a desirable second life to an object destined for destruction is the very essence of the ACE'98. Past shapes the future.

Your feet carry you, take good care of them.

At Zèta, comfort is not an afterthought, it is our starting point. Where many brands focus solely on style, we choose to combine aesthetics, ethics and well-being at every stage of development of our trainers.

Our models are designed to adapt naturally to your foot: supple, lightweight, and breathable, they make you feel like you are walking in slippers – and that is exactly what over 90% of our customers tell us in their reviews. So it is not just us saying it, it is you.

The secret? We use the Strobel construction, a premium manufacturing technique that gives the shoe exceptional flexibility. The result: natural cushioning, no feeling of stiffness, and incomparable freedom of movement, even after hours of walking.

No more blisters and heavy legs: our trainers go with you everywhere, in the city as in the woods, from the first to the last step of the day.

Trainers made to last, without compromising on comfort.

Our materials are carefully selected to ensure they are pleasant to wear and durable over time. Before being launched, all our prototypes are inspected by the CTCP (Footwear Technological Centre of Portugal) for flexibility and abrasion testing. Then, they are tested in real-world conditions by our team and Zèta club members.

Each pair is assembled by hand by our Portuguese artisans, then subjected to rigorous quality control to ensure that your comfort meets our high standards – and yours.

Manufacturing workshop - Vizela, Portugal

We are proud to collaborate with partners who share our values and are just as committed as we are, both environmentally and socially.

At the age of 20, Albano assembled his very first pair of shoes in the back of a garage. 

His first pairs of shoes were then sold in a few local shops and after Sunday mass. The shoes proved popular thanks to their quality and were quickly sold all across northern Portugal.

For over thirty years, nearly 150 artisans have been keeping Portuguese craftsmanship alive with meticulous attention to detail and finishes. They joined our journey in 2022, and over the months we have forged very strong relationships.

Certifications

	ISO 14001 | Environmental management systems
	ISO 9001 | Quality management
	SMETA | Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit