Sometimes, the name says it all. The latest family of bike panniers from outdoor equipment maker Vaude are the brand’s first - and the first on the market in general – in which all the key materials are made from recycled products. The new ReCycle panniers boast a rear panel system made from recycled material produced by Interseroh, and fastening hooks made with recycled material from APK, two recycling companies both of whom are based in Germany. The fabric of the panniers produced by Vaude has long been made from recycled material, the company said. Vaude aims to manufacture most products from organically-based or recycled materials by 2024, according to Antje von Dewitz, managing director of Vaude. Using renewably-sourced and recycled materials significantly reduces CO2 emission levels during their production and upholds the principle of the circular economy.
The fact that it is now possible to produce a rear panel system from recycled materials is a ‘key innovation’, said Clément Affholder, Project Manager Innovation at Vaude. A light and permanently stable attachment of the pannier to the luggage rack is essential, which means any plastic material must be designed with care to meet these special requirements.
The new panel system is made of 100 percent Procyclen – a recycled plastic produced by Interseroh according to strict quality standards is based on the post-consumer waste disposed of in Germany’s yellow bins or yellow bags, mainly lightweight packaging trash. The material is a purpose-designed polypropylene recompound that offers a particularly long-term impact strength in the extremely low and high temperature range, and guaranteed UV and surface scratch resistance. At the same time, an improved tensile strength ensures the geometric stability of the product. “This product is a unique, new formulation, the properties of which have never been achieved before on an industrial scale, including the modification of virgin materials,” said Manica Ulcnik-Krump, head of the Recycled-Resource Business Unit at Interseroh.
