Santini Cycling Wear has reaffirmed its commitment to the environment. The Italian apparel firm notes that… ‘The environment is an increasingly significant subject for consumers and many companies are now adopting eco-friendly strategies, technologies and products.
‘Bikes are by definition an environmentally sustainable means of transport, so bike lovers in particular are increasingly focusing on new ways to help safeguard the environment.
‘Santini Cycling Wear has always been a keen Zero Miles advocate. It also introduced several models made from recycled fabrics in 2020 and this year added TIPA compostable packaging to the mix. Even the [Santini produced] World Champion jerseys have been sustainable since January 2021.’
The company adds that it has been working hard for quite some time on ‘implementing a concrete programme to reduce its environmental impact.’
Based in the Bergamo area of Northern Italy, it has been making cycling wear for over a half a century and has been working closely with several other local (‘and thus Zero Miles’) technical textile manufacturers.
Santini also switched to making facemasks during the peak of the Covid crisis last year and worked with a supply chain of five companies in the Bergamo area to do so. Nonetheless, Zero Miles is not the only environmentally friendly choice the company has made; as, since 2020, Santini has also been using fabrics made from recycled and recovered materials.
This was initially undertaken for the jerseys made for the Trek Segafredo men’s and women’s World Tour road racing teams. In the same spirit, the replica versions for retail sale were also made from recycled fabrics.
This year, Santini extended its use of eco-friendly fabrics to two jerseys from its cycling collection, the Eco Sleek Dinamo and the Eco Raggio. Meanwhile, the official jersey for the Granfondo Stelvio Santini will also be made from two Polartec fabrics made from recycled PET bottles: Polartec Power Dry recycled and Polartec Delta recycled.
Fabrics made from recycled yarn will be also used for the World Champion Rainbow Jersey. So, all winners of UCI world titles will be stepping onto the top step on the podium wearing an eco-friendly jersey.
Lastly, but no less important, is Santini’s decision regarding the packaging of its products. Since January 2021, international compostable packaging company TIPA has been supplying the packaging for Santini jerseys, bib shorts and the rest of its range, with the aim of replacing all plastic bags with green solutions.
‘The new packaging looks exactly like regular plastic but is fully compostable and biodegradable thanks to a mix of special polymers, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional wrapping materials.’
Santini adds that, if the packaging is disposed of in an organic waste bag or bin, it will disintegrate within six months and completely biodegrade within a year. Given that Santini produces over 1.2 million garments per year, the company is preventing a significant amount of single use plastic from ending up in the environment.
