SCHWALBE RECYCLES 1 MILLION BICYCLE TIRES

Schwalbe has taken an important step towards circular economy and has reached a significant milestone of putting one million bicycle tires back in circulation.

The Milestone:

In a recent communication, Schwalbe announced “July 2024 marks a grandiose milestone in our company history: since the introduction of our tire recycling system in 2022, one million tires have been successfully collected, recycled and thus returned to the cycle. Many thanks to all those who make this possible together with us.”

The company further said “In concrete terms, this means that they are used to produce new tires. We now make 70% of our range with recycled carbon black, which is a direct product from the recycling process. And of course, we continue to research.”

Schwalbe is one of the initial bicycle tire manufacturers in the world and working with its partner Pyrum Innovations, a recycling technology company with presence in Germany, Luxembourg and France.

Pyrum Innovations on this milestone said “We are proud to be a part of this impressive milestone, a wonderful testament to the power of innovation and collaboration in creating sustainable solutions.”

At the moment, Schwalbe’s recycling program is active only in Germany and the company plans to extend it globally in the future.

Sustainability:

Schwalbe takes care of the return and recycling of used bicycle tires of all brands. The completely closed circulatory system contributes proactively to the conservation of energy and resources and saves 80% CO2. This holistic recycling process is awarded the Eurobike Innovators Prize.

Schwalbe is actively committed to helping to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. and circular economy is one of their key focus.

Schwalbe Tire Recycling:

Used and worn-out bicycle tires are collected at participating dealers which are transported to the Schwalbe recycling partner Pyrum Innovations. Tires are shredded into rubber granules, steel and tissue. Rubber granules are converted into valuable secondary raw materials and used to produce new tires. Watch this video to learn about the full process.

Schwalbe Tube Recycling:

Prior to getting into recycling of bicycle tires, Schwalbe has already been recycling bicycle tubes since 2015 and has recycled over 10 Mn tubes so far. The company says every Schwalbe tube is 100% recyclable and currently this program is active in Germany, Netherlands, UK and Switzerland. Schwalbe tube recycling has recieved the Eurobike Green Award in 2015, the Green Concept Award in 2020, and the German Sustainability Award 2021. Watch this video to learn about the recycling of bicycle tubes.