SUSTAINABILITY TRAILBLAZERS

Let’s be real, we all know global manufacturing needs to shift from ,“a take-make-waste” model to more sustainable, longer lasting, repairable, recyclable product design. As it stands, most of the materials – roughly 80% – used when manufacturers make pretty much anything, including bikes, end up in landfill, incinerators, or (unfortunately) our natural environment. We take finite resources, use them for a small amount of time, throw them out, and buy the next, best, shiniest thing. While we do recycle some materials,it’s probably less than you think. Thankfully many manufacturers have decided that this is a missed opportunity to keep products, materials, and resources in circulation.

There are a few trailblazers (pun intended?) in the bicycle industry that are unlocking a new frontier of creativity in product design to address some of our global environmental challenges. The first example being the Chris King Components “circular design” fairy-tale.

Chris King have pretty much created their whole brand around the motto that “a product is not worth making unless you make it better.” Now you can also add to that “a product is not worth making unless you make it better, more sustainable… and invent a machine that does both of those things better.” Chris King also became the first bicycle manufacturer to achieve B Corp status – a certification process that ensures a company is positively impacting society and the environment. Their manufacturing process reclaims as much of the resources that went into making raw materials as possible. For example, when capturing the aluminium and steel by-products made by turning barstock into parts, they strain and separate the cutting oil, and make the shavings of aluminium and steel into dense pucks of material to be used again. To further this, the cutting oil used is organic canola oil, which unlike traditional cutting oils, can be used again and again after being recaptured and centrifuged. This process is time consuming and expensive. However, they believe that the “environmental benefits far outweigh the cost of slower machining speeds.” Kudos. Is the price higher for Chris King Components? Yes. But will they last? Yes (all products come with the “King Lifetime Warranty”). Do they make new machines to fill these gaps? Yes…AND that is innovation. Chris

King saw a massive environmental flaw in their manufacturing processes. And they didn’t wait around for someone else to solve it.

Another brand to keep an eye on in this space is Revel Bikes. They are now at the forefront of closing the loop on their wheels (tehehe) - the Revel Wheels RW30 rim is composed of a 100% recyclable carbon “Fusion Fibre” technology. An innovative AF composite material (and a first within the bicycle industry). Very cool, and very recyclable.

And it’s not just components that are making the shift, Norman, an Australian mountain bike clothing brand with a brand ethos of respecting the land from the “dirt up”. This includes transparency across the supply chain, sustainable and ethically made materials, a partnership with Jindabyne based NFP “Keep It Cool”, and my favourite sustainability power move – Norman promote mindful consumption by offering repair services on all their products.

It’s also nice to see some big industry players leading the way in environmental sustainability. Shimano promotes a company-wide commitment to environmental preservation activities in compliance with Shimano’s Environmental Action Guidelines. Most recently they have embarked on a mission to reduce Shimano’s plastic packaging (personal gripe here), publicly announcing that they are on the look-out for alternative packaging that enables the supply of products “without sacrificing their value and communicating [their] [environmental] message to customers”. Whilst that message is… quite vague, a sharp reduction in supply chain soft plastics will make a HUGE environmental impact, and an influential brand like Shimano leading that conversation will hopefully speed up industry wide changes in that arena.

Finally, it’s consumers that can drive the bicycle industry to make products that not only help us have fun, but also help the planet (as far as I know, we will only be getting one). We can purchase products that last, from brands who will help us repair them. We can look after what we have – regular servicing, not riding in heinous weather (this is better for both your drivetrain and the trails), and the same rules apply for the gear you wear on your back. It sounds cliché, but sustainability starts with you!