We are recyclists

Schwalbe has published its third CSR report under the title “We are recyclists”. In it, the family-owned company transparently presents the progress it has made on its path to social and ecological responsibility. Schwalbe focuses in particular on the promotion of the circular economy, the consistent increase in environmentally friendly attributes in all Schwalbe products and the expansion of its diverse commitment to social justice.

The most important figures from 2023 at a glance:

• 76% of annual sales were generated with environmentally friendly products (produced from fair rubber, recycled and/or renewable raw materials)
• 2 million bicycle inner tubes recycled worldwide and 550,000 bicycle tires recycled (in August 2024, the million mark was reached cumulatively)
• 37% reduction in CO2 emissions in production (Scope 1, 2 & 3) since 2018. Tube recycling alone saved 5,683 tons of CO2eq in 2023.
• Five projects supported by the Children's Council

Frank Bohle, CEO: “As a pioneer of the circular economy, we want to continuously increase the proportion of environmentally friendly attributes in our products. In 2023, 76% of annual sales were already generated by products made with fair rubber, recycled and/or renewable raw materials. Our goal is to continuously reduce our environmental impact through the transition to a circular economy and to actively promote the bicycle as the environmentally friendly means of transportation of the future.”

A highlight of 2023 was the launch of the Green Marathon - the world's first tire made from used tires from the Schwalbe Recycling System, among other things. To this day, Schwalbe remains the only manufacturer to produce new tires from old inner tubes and tires. Schwalbe now uses recycled carbon black (rCB) in 70% of all tires, which is a direct product of the recycling process and replaces carbon black made from crude oil. This is done without any loss of quality.

Schwalbe also made progress with its Fair Rubber project. The proportion of tires with fairly traded natural rubber has increased enormously. In the long term, Schwalbe is pursuing the goal of sourcing 100 percent fair rubber. In addition to local communities and fair working conditions, this commitment also promotes the issue of biodiversity. The certified natural rubber comes from jungle plantations. Unlike monocultures, this type of plantation preserves the high natural biodiversity of the rainforest. The topic of biodiversity has always played a central role at Schwalbe - for almost 15 years, the family-owned company has supported the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, which is committed to the survival of the animals on Borneo and the protection of their natural rainforest habitat.

In 2023, the Schwalbe Employees' Children's Advisory Board was able to support a total of five projects. It enables children to decide independently in a democratic process on funding for children's aid projects. Both local initiatives and international projects are supported.

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