Recycled aluminum: The transformation of the bike industry

As a material, aluminium has a range of properties that are perfect for constructing industrial components. Aluminium is comparatively light, remarkably sturdy and easy to process. It is corrosion-resistant and 100% recyclable. An estimated 75% of the aluminium that has been produced since the late 19th century is still in circulation today.

Aluminium is not an unproblematic material. The German Environment Agency (UBA) categorises the ore bauxite, the world’s main source of aluminium, as a risk material because the conditions for people and the environment are inadequate in many producing countries. What is more, the production of primary aluminium is an energy-intensive process. Just under 16,000 kWh are required to produce one tonne. This equates to slightly more than the annual requirement of three four-person households (assuming an average annual consumption of 4,500 kWh).

On the other hand, one tonne of the primary raw material can be used to make 242 bicycle frames, possibly more still depending on the percentage of recycled aluminium. The frame (4,123 kg) of our new Culture, for example, which is made of 46% recycled material, almost doubles this figure to just under 450 frames.