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Schwalbe has introduced the Green Marathon, the first bicycle tyre made predominantly from used tyres. It is produced with 100% fairly traded natural rubber and consists of 70% recycled and renewable materials.
The brand has achieved this percentage through years of research and development work, incorporating the largest possible range of recycled and renewable raw materials.
Compared to the predecessor model, the production of the new Marathon saves more than a third of CO2 – around 34% CO2. To determine the CO2 savings, a detailed Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of both models was calculated and evaluated according to the common IPCC AR6 standard (GWP 100, excl. biogenic CO2).
Frank Bohle, CEO of Ralf Bohle GmbH, the company behind Schwalbe, said: “The Green Marathon combines innovation and environmental friendliness on a new level. It is the result of years of research work that we have carried out together with our production partner Hung-A.
“We at Schwalbe are immensely proud to be able to present a model on the 40th anniversary of the popular Marathon that represents a milestone in terms of ecological responsibility. And most importantly, the Green Marathon doesn’t compromise on performance in any way and continues to lead the way in puncture protection and mileage.”
The goal at Schwalbe from the beginning was to develop the most environmentally friendly bicycle tyre to-date. In the summer of 2022, the family-owned company unveiled the Schwalbe Recycling System, which was developed together with recycling specialist Pyrum Innovations AG, the world’s first and to date only holistic process for recycling used bicycle tyres.
Now, the Green Marathon is the first product on the market that uses 100% recycled carbon black (rCB). The rCB is a direct product of the recycling process and replaces fossil-derived industrial carbon black. It thus saves 80% CO2eq compared to the previously common combustion of bicycle tyres.
Read more: Schwalbe tyres aims to expand Fair Rubber in its productsÂ
In addition, the tyre relies entirely on Fair Rubber. The fairly traded natural rubber comes from certified tappers. Through Fair Rubber e.V., Schwalbe pays all small farmers at the beginning of the supply chain an additional premium of €0.50 per kilo of natural rubber. This corresponds to about one third of the current world market price of rubber.
The ADDIX ECO rubber compound not only consists of 100% rCB, but also of a particularly high proportion of natural rubber, as well as recycled rubber and silica from rice husk ash. At the same time, it is 98% pollutant-free.
GreenGuard, the puncture protection belt, is made from one third recycled latex products, the other two thirds are Fair Rubber, and the bead core wire is made of recycled steel.
