Mrs. Appel, why did you decide to take part in Schwalbe tire recycling? "Each of us can do our bit to protect the environment. I don't just see the industry has a responsibility here, we retailers can also do something. What's more, sustainability not necessarily mean doing without or incurring higher costs. We at Pedalwerk Baunatal are behind this concept. I recently had the pleasure of giving a presentation on sustainability at the Bike Expo Kassel consumer fair. I recently gave a presentation on the subject of sustainability. Among other things, I also talked about Schwalbe tire recycling. tire recycling."

How do you explain the benefits of the Schwalbe tire recycling system to your customers? "Generally speaking, Pedalwerk Baunatal tends to attract sustainable customers, so it's easy to customers about the possibility of tire recycling. They are happy to take the opportunity opportunity and show understanding for the low costs. We can inform our customers customers with the example of the "Green Marathon", which in turn creates a positive This in turn ensures a positive attitude towards Schwalbe tire recycling. We have also gradually switched all Marathons to the Green Marathon since it came onto the market."

You are also committed to the environment and sustainability beyond Schwalbe tire recycling. sustainability. Can you give us a few examples? "It is important to us to raise our employees' awareness of these issues. For example, we took part in training from Ortlieb so that we can carry out repairs on site more effectively and thus save on transportation and make products more durable. We also generally make sure products with short distances, preferably unpackaged and reusable. reusable. Another project we are involved in is a reusable cleaning cloth system."

That sounds exciting. What exactly is it all about? "The oil-smeared rags are collected from the workshop and cleaned by the supplier. The provider disposes of the dirty water professionally, which prevents oil residues from entering the from entering domestic waste water. We also no longer use environmentally harmful lubricants. used by us."

How do you involve your employees in the topic of sustainability? "To ensure that our employees are also actively involved, we have a monthly brainstorming session in which we discuss sustainable ideas together and consider how these can be put into practice. And to show that environmental awareness can also be can also be fun, we cook once a month with our employees, true to the motto: Regional, Seasonal and Unpackaged. These topics are very important to us, which is why we are also regularly exchange ideas with other retailers and customers.

Mr. Könekamp, why did you decide to take part in Schwalbe tire recycling? participate? "We've been involved since the pilot phase and are absolutely convinced. The delivery and collection of the box work without any problems. For us, there was no question of taking part in Schwalbe tire recycling. to take part."

Does your business specialize in a particular area? "Our main target group is everyday cyclists and commuters. We are lucky that our customers are also very environmentally conscious. Recycling is no longer no longer questioned, it has become the norm. We are very pleased with this development. It is high time time that the rethink in society progresses quickly."

Are you also involved in the environment and sustainability beyond Schwalbe tire recycling? sustainability? "Yes, of course. For example, we do not use harmful materials such as chemical brake brake cleaner. We also give old, still usable bicycle parts to a bicycle project for young people. for young people. Here, young people are encouraged to repair them themselves and work together. work together. In winter, we try to keep the temperature in the sales rooms relatively low, customers usually leave their winter jackets on anyway. This allows us to save heating energy and costs. In addition to Schwalbe tire recycling, we are connected to another environmentally friendly system system. Our oil-smeared rags from the workshop are collected and taken away by a specialist company. collected by a specialist company. The rags are cleaned there so that the waste water is not contaminated. We then get the clean rags back again."

Do you think that recycling systems, such as the Schwalbe tire recycling system, are sufficient to make live and work more sustainably in the future? "Tire recycling is already a great help and a good step forward. However we are struggling with a lot of packaging waste. We urgently need to switch to reusable systems. It's a shame that we throw hundreds of new, high-quality boxes in the bin every year after a single use. thrown in the bin after a single use."

Mr. Schmitt, why did you decide to take part in Schwalbe tire recycling? "I think recycling is a very important topic these days. We all have a social responsibility responsibility and we should live up to it. That's why it was immediately clear to me that we should support the Schwalbe tire recycling and become one of the first recycling partners."

You are celebrating the 120th anniversary of your business this year. Has your product range changed changed much over time? "We have always had a very broad product range. Apart from racing bikes, we have you can find all categories. However, almost 70% of the bikes in our store are now e-bikes. bikes. A lot has happened here in recent years."

Are you also involved in the environment and sustainability beyond Schwalbe tire recycling? sustainability? "Definitely in any case. We have equipped our new building, which was completed in 2016, with a photovoltaic system on the roof. This provides our electricity in the sunny summer months, so that we hardly have to buy any external electricity at all during this time. The building is also The building has a timber frame construction and is equipped with triple-glazed windows and an air-to-water heat water heat pump, which of course runs on green electricity. In addition we have switched our internal bookkeeping to paperless accounting."

What has been your greatest success in the area of the environment and sustainability so far? "In February 2022, we were certified as a climate-neutral company in 2021. We can be very proud of that. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, we offset our CCF - our company footprint i.e. our company footprint. It was and is not always easy, but we have to rethink now, because every step counts."

How do you involve your employees in the topics of the environment and sustainability? "In general, all of our employees themselves strive to minimize their ecological footprint. to keep it low. We not only try to meet the minimum standard, but also to think outside the think outside the box and lead the way. As an employer, we offer our employees employees a financial incentive, for example. We have a "bike-to-work bonus" for all employees who cycle to work. We have also recently acquired a company e-vehicle, a Mercedes E-Sprinter to be precise. The vehicle runs exclusively on electricity and, with a range of around 140 km, is sufficient for our purposes. We deliberately decided against the larger battery in order to consume fewer resources. consume fewer resources."

Mr. Lob, why did you decide to take part in the Schwalbe tire recycling project? "I like the idea of turning something old into something new. As a dealer, we try to to work as resource-efficiently as possible. Participating in the Schwalbe tire recycling was therefore obvious. It's also very practical that the recycling box is foldable, because our store isn't very big. very large."

Does your business specialize in a particular area? Does your business specialize in a particular area? "Our customers are, on the one hand, ambitious cyclists and, on the commuters who use the bicycle as their main mode of transport."

How do you explain the benefits of the Schwalbe tire recycling system to your customers? "We are noticing that our customers' consumption is changing and that they are buying more consciously. It customers have even actively come in for tire or tube recycling. have come by. Otherwise, we explain to all interested parties that the raw materials are reused to close the cycle. This can be demonstrated wonderfully with the Green Marathon. Accordingly, the costs for recycling are then also accepted by customers. accepted by the customers."

Are you also involved in the environment and sustainability beyond Schwalbe tire recycling? sustainability? "We use our resources sparingly and make sure that as many manufacturers as possible are manufacturers that produce in Germany can be found in our store. We are also a member of VSF. We also reuse old T-shirts and use them as rags for the workshop. Privately I try to use unpackaged food."