Sustainability

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US?

We know that the term 'Sustainability' is misused by many companies in an attempt to greenwash their products. For us sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.

- EDUCATION & LEARNING

• Promote and enable a sustainable form of transport - we want more people to cycle
• Promote learning and self-sufficiency as a key to achieving sustainability within the bike industry and part of our everyday lives
• Promote recycling through the use of donor bike components for bamboo bikes - it's important to purchase with purpose, mindful consumption puts you in control of sustainable living

- SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION & PROCESSES

• Utilise materials and products that are sourced as sustainably as possible
• Use recycled packaging
• Minimise the amount of packaging through the design process

HOW CAN WE IMPROVE?

We know that we can do better and we have a number of exciting initiatives that are in the early stages of development and will publicise over time.  These initiatives will include action to reduce waste, minimise air miles, improve manufacturing in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint. This will help us become the producer of the most sustainable bike frame in the world. A bold statement but we set our sights high so that we can strive to achieve our goals.

BICYCLE SUSTAINABILITY

A recent study by Trek bicycles gave a really good insight into a bicycles carbon footprint (one carbon frame will consume 197 CO2e which is equivalent to burning 86L of petrol)!

 
HOW DO WE MAKE OUR BIKES SUSTAINABLE?

As a small company it’s complex to study our carbon footprint as we have limited resources to manage all of our process and manufacturing. However we can make some good assumptions.  We know that a frame is the largest proportion of a bicycle carbon footprint. So by reducing the two materials with a negative carbon footprint can make a difference. Our recent move to create a pre-lugged frame reduces waste in the build process, although we use recycled aluminium we use 80% of bamboo on the rest of the frame.

"The current trend is for carbon frames that lack environmental credentials. Carbon uses more energy to produce than steel and is difficult to recycle. However, Bamboo is easy to grow and offsets its carbon footprint, combined with flax and bio composites it has the potential to offer a viable alternative."

"In today's consumer driven mass produced society, little thought is given to the design, function and making process of the items we purchase."

"If we want people to choose sustainable options, we need to offer something genuinely better than what polluting products can be."

"Bamboo Bicycle Club follows a niche-manufacturing business model that prioritises knowledge-sharing over profit-making retail, charging for workshops and kits rather than pre-made products."