Abandoned bicycles piled up in a disorganized urban recycling depot. (Unsplash/ Eric Prouzet)

Andrew Felch

Cycling is a fantastic creation: transport, recreation, exercise and a reduction in greenhouse gasses all wrapped together. According to recent comparisons by Scientific American, “a human on a bicycle is among the most efficient forms of travel in the animal kingdom” and more efficient than nearly any other technological method. The cycling industry, however, is not free from all the environmental dangers which challenge any other. What are the specific pain points for cycling, and what can an environmentally minded customer do to reduce their impact?

Life Cycle Assessments performed and compared in a Duke University study, attempting to quantify all the resources used at each stage from building to using and ultimately disposing of a bicycle. Manufacturing is the stage of a bicycle’s life where most of its environmental damage is caused. The materials used to create a bicycle are not very different from a combustion engine car. Steel, aluminum, rubber and plastics, along with energy intensive processes to transform them are integral to the bicycle supply chain. Aluminum frames are TiG welded and heat treated to ensure strength, both steps which require staggering amounts of electricity. The creation of the ultra-light and strong carbon fiber frames consumes large amounts of fresh water and costly-to-produce materials. The paints used for bicycles are similar to those for automobiles, and the petrochemicals used in production or as lubricants are all environmentally costly to produce. Some components of a bicycle like the chain also create large amounts of waste material in their manufacturing and are replaced regularly throughout a bike’s lifespan. Ultimately while many of the materials in a bicycle can be recycled at the end of its life, some of those processes are expensive, and not all bicycles are disposed of properly to ensure they are recycled.

The cycling industry is truly global, which, unfortunately, means that an extensive transportation network often moves for many thousands of miles before a bicycle ends up in your hands. ESU-Services, a Swiss environmental consulting agency compared the impacts of different two wheeled vehicles. ESU found that although a bike is lighter (which offsets its transport demands) it traveled just as many kilometers on cargo ships, trains and trucks as other vehicles. The supply chains at work for cycling require raw materials to come to Asia where much of the manufacturing takes place. Generally, components are all transported again to an assembly factory in another country, before a complete bicycle is loaded onto a cargo ship for transport around the globe to finish with freight delivery to dealers. While many brands are now trying to implement more sustainable packaging strategies, a significant amount of non-recyclable packaging is still used and disposed of before a consumer ever sees their bike.

E-bikes, powered by electric motors and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are a relatively new category of vehicle. Every aspect discussed above regarding the manufacture and delivery of a bicycle applies to e-bikes as well. E-bikes do introduce a thorny new challenge in the creation of their motors and especially batteries. A significant portion of the energy used to make an e-bike comes from the mining and refining of the minerals needed to build modern batteries, not to mention the actual battery manufacture. While the technology is improving, current studies account for 2-3 battery replacements over the usable life of an e-bike. This brings us to perhaps the greatest challenge to the e-bike’s eco-friendly image, disposal. Li-ion batteries contain some dangerous materials and can pose serious fire risks when stored en masse. The lack of general standardization in the e-bike battery world and the rapid changes in battery technology mean that each high-capacity battery requires meticulous dismantling and energy intensive processing to reclaim the valuable materials for re-use. The processes needed to reclaim those valuable materials often produce toxic waste and greenhouse emissions of their own, though generally less than would be produced through mining new materials.

It may seem that the environmental issues for the cycling industry are entirely out of the consumer’s hands, but that does not mean there is nothing we can do to improve the situation. Our priorities as cyclists should be making the most of our bicycles and being thoughtful about our purchases. Thankfully, some major bicycle brands have been cooperative with these environmental impact studies and seem serious about focusing on more sustainable practices. The big-box retail business of selling ultra-low-cost bicycles has fed into a dangerous spiral of waste. An open petition from the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association (PBMA) has brought awareness to the issue of so-called “disposable bikes”. The PBMA claims the quality of the components and construction on many of these most inexpensive bikes means they are failing very early in what should be their usable life-span and are far less repairable than even the entry level products from more reputable brands. The studies referenced in this article assume between ten and fifteen thousand kilometers of use before a bike is ultimately disposed of. Given that most of the environmental damage of the bicycle is done before it is ridden, we are amortizing that damage across every ride we take.

Duke University’s study surveyed consumers and found that 75% of them would be willing to pay more for a bicycle if they knew the manufacturer was working to produce it sustainably. Each of us can afford to spend more on sustainable bicycles when we don’t need to buy them as often. Maintenance and repair will ensure the energy put into crafting your bicycle frame has not been wasted. Donate old bicycles if they are still usable, so they can find new use. When it is time to dispose of our worn parts, ripped tires or bent frames, we should ensure that those items are fed into the recycling system and kept out of landfills. Reduce consumption, increase utilization, and we can pedal together into a greener future.

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