The latest release from Specialized points out that thousands of carbon fibre bicycles end up in landfills each year, and the company wants to change that. Based on existing carbon fibre recycling programs used by the aerospace industry, Specialized is steering bikes away from the landfills and back into usable goods.
The California-based bicycle company will be doing this by working with bike shops to collect damaged carbon frames and transport them to a US recycler. The program will expand to its EU operations as soon as appropriate resources are identified.
The process of recycling carbon fibre consists of chopping the frame into smaller sections, then burning off the epoxy that holds the fibres together in an oxygen-free environment. This results in shorter fibres with the same properties as the original material, which can be used in a variety of ways.
In May 2011, Specialized launched a comprehensive sustainability initiative and this latest move is part of a broad commitment to sustainable business practices. “We are committed to becoming the leader of sustainable practices in the cycling industry,” said Specialized President and Founder Mike Sinyard.
“As cyclists, we are passionate about our time outdoors, and by the nature of the sport, are tied to the health of the planet. We want to ensure this is reflected in how we manufacture bicycles, and ultimately, that the cycling industry becomes the model other industries look to on sustainability practices.”
To spearhead this effort, Specialized has hired Bryant Bainbridge as the company’s full-time Sustainability Strategist. Bainbridge, a Specialized R&D employee in the 1980s, returns to the company from Nike, where he directed the team that created sustainability metrics for the brand.
“You’re probably not going to make a bike from recycled carbon, but you can make a range of products with the shorter fibres,” said Bainbridge. “For example, Boeing recycles its stabilizer fins into armrests.
“Besides keeping these frames out of the landfill, you’re recovering carbon with significantly less energy than it took to make virgin material.”
Bainbridge added, “Specialized is committed to addressing what happens to our bikes at end of life because it’s the right thing to do. But this program isn’t about being brand exclusive. Trek is also doing good work here and every company in the industry that produces carbon products is encouraged to join in the effort.”
Earlier this year, Trek Bicycle instituted a full-scale carbon recycling program at its Waterloo, Wisconsin, manufacturing facility and is now recycling all scrap carbon fibre – the primary material of use in its domestic US bicycle production.
Going forward, participating Specialized dealers will accept carbon frames (from any brand), which will be picked up by Specialized and shipped for recycling. Specialized will report back to the industry at the 2012 Eurobike and Interbike trade shows on the number of frames recycled, the amount of carbon fibre recovered, and what has been learned.
“At that time we will make a formal call for an industry coalition to recycle carbon fibre,” Bainbridge said. “This is a shared industry problem and one we all need to address. We are going to pick up the tab now, but we want everyone on board. This is about collaboration, not egos. Come Eurobike, we’ll share everything we’ve learned.”
Specialized recently joined the Outdoor Industry Association Eco-Index working group, and is an active participant in the creation of a comprehensive system for evaluating and improving a product’s environmental footprint.
Specialized will contact its dealers in January about the specifics of how to handle carbon frame returns and the start date for the take-back program.
