For many, the notable takeaway from Hunt’s recent announcement about adding a sustainability angle to their wheel lineup was that they’re going from black to paintless silver spokes on a few models. Big deal, right?
The British brand’s efforts may seem lackluster compared to what companies like to do. Forging and binding do with their line of 100% recyclable, zero-waste thermoplastic wheels. But you’d be wrong to assume that Hunt’s moves, which do involve more than just silver spokes, aren’t helpful in the effort to address climate change.
The first of several planned steps to adapt their line of high-end carbon and aluminum wheels for durability includes updated manufacturing processes and material specifications for their three most popular wheel models – the first of what are now the Maintain phase one reach – intended to gather more information about rider preferences and the priority of sustainability through their purchasing decisions and feedback.
For the 42 Carbon Disc Ti model, the mold bladders go from a one-time silicone bladder to a wax mold/bladder/insert system that can be reused 25 times. A new polycarbonate tire bed mold will produce higher levels of accuracy and repeatability of tire bed dimensions compared to what the previous silicone mandrel produced, resulting in a lower overall scrap percentage. Hunt has also overhauled the way they manage raw materials to eliminate the need for long-term cooling, and the carbon itself now contains 10% reclaimed trim material from the aerospace and automotive industries.
Their aluminum 4 Season All Road Disc and Trail Wide 29 models will use 75% recycled material for the rims. All three models will feature the aforementioned uncoated silver spokes, eliminating the energy and chemicals required for black spokes. It’s also worth noting that Hunt has designed their products from the beginning with long-term support in mind, including interchangeable components and spare parts that are stocked back in their earliest models to maximize the lifespan of the product.
These are the first and most visible steps for the consumer in a much larger process that is being carried out by the Science-Based Goals Initiative (SBTi), a collective global collaboration between the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and WorldWide Fund for Nature, which aims to define a pathway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. This agreement, or treaty, was adopted in December 2015 by 196 sovereign states, with the primary goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. And here’s the bigger picture.
(Image credit: Hunt Bike Wheels)
From the SBTi site:
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The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard is the world’s only framework for setting climate science-aligned net-zero targets for companies. It provides the guidance, criteria and recommendations companies need to set science-based net-zero targets that are consistent with limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C.
Net zero promises already Cover 92% of global GDP and 88% of emissionsDespite this, the definition of net zero and the path to get there are interpreted in different and inconsistent ways.
Without a common definition, targets can differ in terms of the emission sources included and the depth and speed of emission reductions. This has led to confusion and accusations of greenwashing.
The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard addresses this issue by providing a clear, consistent, science-based definition of net zero. By signing up to this standard, companies can set science-based net zero targets to demonstrate their leadership in climate action and their commitment to ensuring a liveable planet for all.
The TLDR version:
SBTi offers a science-based process for companies looking to authentically address climate change, encompassing a full spectrum of steps that go far beyond using recyclable or recycled materials and considers more complex aspects of sustainability, such as supply chain management, and beyond. By embarking on the SBTi journey, Hunt sets itself apart from brands that, well-intentioned or not, may not be making as much progress on sustainability as their marketing claims.
Hunt isn’t the only bike brand taking the rather demanding SBTi route. They’re joining Canyon, march, Thule, MIPSglobal helmet factory Strategic sports and likely more, although the shift to science-based sustainability cannot happen overnight.
“The more complex elements, such as the use of recycled content or the resin transfer process, rely on collaboration with the broader industry to develop lower impact processes. In many cases, those processes are developed in larger industries and adapted to the needs of cycling applications. It has taken years, and in some cases decades, for the industry to develop recycled materials that meet the performance needs of cyclists, particularly in terms of strength-to-weight ratios,” said Ken Rodriguez-Clisham, Hunt North America Brand Manager.
It’s exciting to see leading sports brands like Hunt and others taking steps to make cycling clothing as sustainable as possible and become an even bigger part of the solution in the fight against climate change.
“We believe it is our responsibility as a small business to explore and test ways to improve the sustainability of our products and give cyclists the opportunity to choose more sustainably produced products within our range. We believe in the power of cycling to reduce car dependency, but there is still much work to be done on the environmental impact of the cycling products we all make and use. This Sustain Phase One range is just the first step and feedback from cyclists will help inform our future product development decisions,” said Tom Marchment, Co-Founder of Hunt.
For cyclists looking to make sustainable purchases and decisions (that’s a whole other story), it’s important to know that the complexity of adding sustainability to a product line and company ethos goes beyond just choosing eye-catching materials. We hope to see more brands (bike brands and otherwise) embrace the SBTi path.