The Only Way is Ethics

Cycling's impact on the environment is nothing compared to a car or plane. But it could be much better. Here, we deliver the easy eco wins to help save our planet...

- James Witts Illustration Joe Waldron

Cycling is one of the greenest activities around but it's far from perfect. Take a 2021 report by Trek who estimated that carbon emissions from its Madone model totalled around 197kg of carbon dioxide. (Chapeau to the American company for publishing such figures - many don't.)

Carbon bikes are near enough impossible to repurpose because of the structure of those fibres, many performance glasses are constructed from harmful polyurethane and the Haribo that comes with your latest Wiggle purchase is sheltered by plastic wrapping. In short, we can all do more. But where does your eco-trail start?

Inner peace

Pssst... yep, it's the sound of deflation and a disrupted ride. After much effing, blinding and aching thumbs, you've succeeded in replacing your punctured inner tube with a new one. Ride on, arrive home and pop that old inner tube in the bin. The problem is, butyl rubber, which many inner tubes are constructed from, is a synthetic plastic that doesn't really biodegrade. Instead, it's broken down into microplastics that, over time, finds their way into water, soil and, ultimately, the food chain.

Thankfully, there is another way. "We run an inner-tube recycling scheme," explains Zoe Kasiya, UK manager at Cycle of Good. "The tubes are used as filler in our containers to Malawi, Africa, where we ship six or seven containers per year of donated books, sewing machines and school equipment. Once the tubes arrive there, they're then sorted into sizes, washed and cut to make into our products. Once a year, a sea-freight container brings the finished products back." Those recycled inner-tube products include belts and messenger bags, plus wallets and purses.