Do you want to know what the real carbon footprint of a bicycle is?

One of the most remarkable aspects of cycling is its impact on the environment. Bicycles do not emit greenhouse gases during use, making them an ideal transportation solution for reducing air pollution in large cities. In addition, they hardly generate any noise pollution and their impact on the wear and tear of the surfaces they travel on, whether it's street asphalt or a forest path, is minimal. There is no doubt, no other vehicle has a better environmental reputation than the bicycle. However, it is not true that a bicycle emits no type of pollutant emissions. Like any other industrial product, to know its carbon footprint it is not enough to look at its use; you must take into account its entire life cycle, from the extraction of the materials needed for its construction to the manufacturing process, distribution, and waste management. And that's what we have done at Tuvalum
. As part of our commitment to leading sustainability in the bicycle industry, we have measured the role that bicycles can play in the fight against climate change. For this, we have relied on various scientific studies and reports related to mobility, the impact of the most used means of transportation, and industrial manufacturing processes. We have even taken into account the cyclist's energy expenditure while riding a bike!

One of the best decisions you can make as a personal initiative to combat climate change is to get on a bicycle. Even better if it is a refurbished second-hand bicycle.

The more you use it, the less you pollute

If we analyze the environmental impact of the bicycle as a means of transport, by now there is no doubt that it is the most efficient and sustainable solution for short urban trips. In fact, some scientific studies have calculated that if we replaced cars with bicycles for urban trips of less than 8 kilometers, more than 7 million tons of CO2 would be saved from the atmosphere each year. The carbon footprint of a bicycle is only 21 grams of CO2 per kilometer traveled. This is not an exact figure, since the environmental impact of a basic aluminum urban bicycle is not the same as that of a high-end electric bicycle. The extraction and transformation of lithium for batteries or the electricity consumption for recharging them significantly influence the carbon footprint of e-bikes. The material used to make the frames and components is also important, as is the logistics from the production centers to the store where you buy the bicycle. Keep in mind that more than 90% of bicycles sold worldwide are manufactured in Southeast Asia. But taking into account all these factors and others that have been analyzed by various scientific studies, we can conclude that on average a bicycle generates 21 grams of CO2 per kilometer traveled -When we talk about CO2, we are not only referring to carbon dioxide, but we also include other polluting greenhouse gases such as NO2, which make up what is called the 'carbon footprint.' No other means of private transportation has a lower emissions impact. An interesting conclusion reached by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study in 2010 is that the environmental footprint of a cyclist riding a bicycle is the same as that of a pedestrian walking.

This CO2 calculation also takes into account the necessary infrastructures (roads, railways, airports, etc.), the maintenance of the vehicle itself, and the production of the fuel needed for its use. Another detail that should not be overlooked is the fact that pedaling a bicycle does not emit carbon dioxide, while a car emits a large amount of greenhouse gases. This means that the more you use the bicycle, the less you pollute because you are offsetting with its use the waste emitted into the atmosphere during the manufacturing process.

How much does a carbon bicycle pollute?

Now let's talk about the environmental cost of manufacturing a bicycle. Several factors come into play here to consider:

• The extraction of raw materials (aluminum, steel, etc.).
• The transformation of these raw materials.
• The production and manufacturing of the frame.
• The production and manufacturing of the components.
• The assembly.
• The logistics from each extraction, production, and distribution center to the final customer.

Manufacturing an affordable urban-use bicycle with a steel frame and a weight between 17 and 20 kilos generates 96 kilograms of CO2 as an environmental footprint. Each kilo of steel produced in the industry has an impact of 1.9 kilos of CO2. In the case of aluminum, the most used material in the bicycle industry, this figure rises to 18 kilos of CO2 per kilo of raw material. It is estimated that aluminum mining is responsible for 1% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Recycling a carbon frame requires more economic expense and energy consumption than making a new one.

Bicycles made of carbon are even more problematic from an environmental impact perspective. Carbon fibers are a synthetic material made from petroleum. Their manufacturing process uses large amounts of energy, water, and toxic resins that generate a very high volume of waste. Between 20% and 30% of carbon fibers become unusable during the production process. Manufacturing a carbon bicycle frame generates three times more CO2 than making an aluminum frame. Another notable difference is that aluminum can be recycled to be used in the manufacture of new products—even to make other bicycle frames again! But carbon is a very difficult material to recycle, and the frames usually end up in landfills or thrown into rivers and seas. Recycling a carbon frame requires more economic expense and energy consumption than making a new one.

The environmental problem of electric bicycles

The electric bicycles
they have become a real revolution, not only in terms of the sports cycling industry, but also in the transportation sector. It is estimated that by 2030 the e-bike market will reach 89 billion dollars. They are truly a more sustainable alternative than cars or motorcycles for urban commuting. And they also offer new sporting experiences when it comes to electric mountain bikes. But they pose an environmental problem. The carbon footprint of an electric bicycle is not less than 300 kilograms of CO2, and can exceed 400 kilos in the case of those with more powerful motors, higher autonomy batteries, and a higher level of equipment superior. Do you remember that earlier we talked about the environmental impact of manufacturing a carbon bicycle? Add to that an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. Most of the carbon footprint of an e-bike comes from the extraction and processing of the heavy metals and elements needed to manufacture the batteries and electrical components. Lithium batteries contain toxic materials, such as copper, nickel, or lead, and their useful life is relatively short (between 3 and 6 years). They cannot be disposed of in a landfill and require a complex treatment to prevent their decomposition once they stop working. Pollution from these batteries can last more than 400 years. That is why recycling electric bicycle batteries is one of the major challenges that the bicycle industry faces this decade to meet its sustainability goals.

Refurbished bicycles, the most sustainable option

Compared to any other vehicle or means of transport, a bicycle is the most sustainable option, especially if it is a refurbished second-hand bicycle
. And to this advantage, we must add its contribution in terms of health. If we consider the use of bicycles as a sporting habit, its impact is equally notable. Practicing cycling helps us stay in shape, activates the body by providing cardiovascular and muscular exercise without impact on the joints, and introduces us to healthy lifestyle habits. In the long run, this contributes to saving hundreds of millions in healthcare spending. Getting around by bicycle reduces the rate of ailments and cardiovascular diseases related to the sedentary lifestyle so widespread in urban areas. In addition, the environmental impact of sports cycling is very limited, since it is not necessary to build infrastructures that degrade the environment. Road cycling uses roads that have already been built and amortized by cars. And mountain biking is practiced on livestock trails and paths with a very reduced impact in terms of noise or environmental degradation. By now, we have studies and empirical evidence that few dispute about the benefits of promoting the use of bicycles as a means of transport, as a sport, and, combining both, as a fundamental element in decarbonization and the fight against climate change.

Thanks to our circular economy model at Tuvalum, we have helped save the emission of more than 3,500 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Any strategy that promotes the use of bicycles as a way to reduce climate change must include the circular economy. If you have decided to park your car and get on a bike or are thinking about replacing the gym with mountain bike rides with your friends, buying a second-hand bicycle is the most sustainable option. The bicycle that generates the least environmental impact is the one that has already been manufactured. This alternative is especially relevant in the field of sports cycling, where brands are increasingly betting on carbon as the material to build their frames. Carbon fiber is a material that has a very complex and costly recycling process. As we have seen, recycling a carbon frame is expensive and consumes a lot of energy resources. Buying a new carbon bicycle every two years does not seem like a very sustainable option in environmental terms. Hence the need to generate a circular economy cycle that allows that bicycle that is no longer used not to end up in a landfill or parked in a storage room. One of the best decisions you can make as a personal initiative to fight climate change is to get on a bicycle. Even better if it is a refurbished bicycle
, since you avoid the waste impact generated by manufacturing a new one. This is what we do at Tuvalum and one of the reasons why we are committed to our circular economy model by refurbishing and giving bicycles a longer and higher quality life.

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Sources and studies used for the preparation of this report:

• The climate change mitigation impacts of active travel: Evidence from a longitudinal panel study in seven European cities (Oxford University)
• Quantifying CO2 savings of cycling (European Cyclists Federation)
  
• The Complete Impact of Bicycle Use (Duke University)
  
• How Electric Cars Beat Gasoline Cars on Lifetime Global Warming Emissions (Union of Concerned Scientists)
  
• Calculating changes in CO2 emissions as a result of increased cycling (California University)
  
• Life cycle assessment of transportation options for commuters (Shreya Dave, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Summarizing the impacts of electric bicycle adoption on vehicle travel, emissions and physical activity (Lab University of British Columbia)
  
• E-bike trials’ potential to promote sustained changes in car owners mobility habits