Shenandoah Students Develop High-Performance Punching Bags Using Recycled Materials

Shenandoah University’s Institute for Business, Sustainability & Society has successfully tested a high-performance punching bag filled with locally recycled industrial materials in partnership with Brothers Boxing Club in Winchester, Virginia, demonstrating a practical application of circular economy principles.

The initiative began in 2022, when a student team led by Conor Bailey ’23 partnered with Creative Urethanes, a Winchester-based manufacturer that was sending significant quantities of urethane shavings to the local landfill. Recognizing an opportunity to repurpose this material, the team designed a prototype using recycled urethane as punching bag filler.

But commercially available bag casings fell apart after sustained use, prompting the team to redesign the product from scratch. The project evolved in collaboration with regional partners, including Toray Industries, which supplied the waste filler material, and Roy Sutton, of Roy’s Upholstery in Berryville, Virginia, who constructed a new and improved prototype bag. Cynthia Schneider, CEO of the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber, and Jude Sparrow, senior sales manager at Continental, helped make it all happen.

The latest prototype, branded “K.O. Punch,” has undergone months of rigorous testing at Brothers Boxing, including by Christopher Standen, an amateur boxing champion who is turning pro next year. Months of testing helped validate the bag’s performance under real-world training conditions. Boxers report improved training efficiency and reduced risk of injury, says trainer Harold Jones. 

“A circular economy is one in which materials typically written off as waste are reimagined as inputs for new, high-value uses,” said Giles Jackson, Ph.D., director of Shenandoah’s Institute for Business, Sustainability & Society. “We’ve developed a product that stands up to the demands of a real training environment. What’s been most striking is how much the students have embraced the process. They see the direct link between their decisions and a tangible outcome — something they can test, refine, and improve. That combination of purpose, ownership, and real-world impact is deeply motivating.”

The initiative will continue this summer through the course BA 460 Marketing and Brand Strategy, where students will develop a comprehensive marketing and sales strategy for “K.O. Punch,” further extending the project from prototype to market-ready offering.