ECO-CONSCIOUS CYCLE TRADE?
Buffera sub- brand SueMe is known for its green efforts
Pragmasis partners Stephen Briggs and his wife have planted their own woodland
Clif Bar’s Emeryville
headquarters uses over 12,000 feet of reclaimed wood
From hard fibres to soft, the outdoor clothing business has a greater choice of natural sources to pluck its raw material from. German gear firm Vaude has set itself a target to become the most ecological outdoor supplier in Europe by 2015 – an ambitious goal, but one that’s already underway. The label has created what it calls a
‘Greenshape’ mountain, where the most ecological products are marked as ‘Summit goods’ and the lesser ‘basecamp’ items, with several tier in between. ‘Summit goods’ meet the world’s Bluesign
standards, meaning the product meets stringent environmental protection standards. Vaude uses what it calls an eColour dye process, whereby as opposed to traditional multi-dye and rinse techniques, the garment has pigments added during the spinning process. This reduces CO2 emissions by around 62 per cent and uses 90 per cent less water, 63 per cent less pigment chemicals and saves around 65 per cent of the energy used to produce a product. By 2015, Vaude endeavours to make 80 per cent of its goods ‘Green Shape’ rated. Few in the industry will be unfamiliar with another outdoor industry stalwart with eco- conscious values the SueMe label. Sarah Gowans of Buffera told us that a combination of domestic manufacturing, a strict use of natural fibres and efforts to offset its use of such natural materials by replacing uprooted plants and trees is key. “Currently we use organic cotton, merino
wool, beech tree pulp, bamboo pulp and are currently testing Eucalyptus pulp. We also use
28 BIKEBIZ JUNE
recycled card for packaging, vegetable inks for printing and our point of sale is all made from wood, as well as supplying our customers with a packet of seeds to plant, allowing them the opportunity to offset their purchase as trees and plants are the filters of the world.” Any product left over in Buffera’s warehouse
is used by the firm’s Tottenham tailor, as part of an inner city programme –
sewtogethercs4.com – which helps keep children off the streets and teach them about fashion, clothing, design, and manufacturing. Hidden in plain sight, is another domestic
manufacturer selling into the cycle trade – security firm Pragmasis – headed up by owner Stephen Briggs and his wife. Perhaps most impressively of all, the duo bought their own woodland – Betty’s Wood – in which they have planted over 6,000 trees together on ex-arable land close to the business premises. Briggs tells BikeBiz: “It’s a local ancient woodland site that came up for sale nearly six years ago and we have been working there ever since to develop it as a wildlife site, but also as a community resource. “We have school groups, scouts and many
others visiting. We hold regular open days with guided tours. Priority is given to the wildlife there, so the place is locked most of the time as a result. “Honestly, one of the main reasons for
running the security business is to fund that place! It eats money and most of what we make goes into the woods. It is expensive, but it makes us feel brilliant.”
THE BEST OF THE REST ABUS
The £89.99 Kranium helmet is one of a kind for Abus. A helmet constructed largely from wood-cellulose fibre board in a honeycomb structure, the lid has significantly higher shock absorbing properties than EPS and carries natural fibre padding within.
Muc-Off With a strong emphasis on local production, Muc-Off set up Far East production simply to service its customers in the region and cut out shipping. The UK production is focused on efficiently servicing the rest of Europe. Any plastic offcuts from molding
of bottles are re-cycled right back into new bottles. MD Alex Trimnell told BikeBiz:
“We’ve looked at many product opportunities that could have been very lucrative, but simply did not fit within our ecological policy.”
Pure Weldtite’s answer to calls to make lubrication products more environmentally friendly. Pure’s formulas are natural, renewable and biodegradeable.
BIKEBIZ.COM
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