Eurobike Awards

It's remarkable: in both 2021 and 2023 we reached the finals of the Eurobike Awards with an UpCycling bike. Remarkable less because we are so incredibly great, but because both times two completely different juries at two different trade fair locations only scratched the surface of the topic of sustainability. Oh yes, please send us a bike, you are in the final. Great thing about sustainability. But: sustainability needs explanation, at first glance you don't necessarily see it in a bike.

In 2021, our explanations in paper form were not touched, they were still in place in the delivery note compartment after the return and no tape was removed. After our complaint, the appointment arranged by the Eurobike 2022 with the SWR television almost felt like a bit of a guilty conscience. Maybe it should also mean: Don't get on our nerves. And, of course, we didn't have any hip innovation on the bike. And only one innovation could win. Anyone who won with an innovation could also receive the Green Award. Our innovation was called sustainability, which was not recognised. So we out.

In 2022 the SWR date arranged by Eurobike took place. The moderator asked me why more companies in the industry weren't addressing the issue of sustainability. I couldn't answer the question.

Then in 2023 great news: Sustainability should be treated equally to innovations and other criteria. We literally applied at five minutes to twelve with our SAYA model in the bicycle category. And again: Great, you're in the final.

We handed in our bike in Frankfurt on time. There was a clearly visible QR code on the wheel with the request: Scan Me! The code was stuck on five sides of the bike box. He pointed to a secret website for the jury.

None of the six jurors viewed the explanation page with a short video each in English and German. To date, we have not had a transparent evaluation scheme, justification or anything similar. We don't know anything other than the cancellation. Every football game is more transparent! Well, we thought, the winner will have put at least as much work into it, let's give him his success and learn. Then we stood at the Eurobike and searched. After the winner in the bike category. There were several highly carbonized e-bikes for the sustainable mobility revolution. There was no bicycle. Well, I did the math: There were 45 awards from over 300 submissions. Even if only 90 made it to the final (which nobody knows), the jurors had 10 minutes per product over two days. No time for sustainability. There's business to do. Does this business know that the subject of transparency was addressed at the Future Mobility Forum right next door? Industry leaders puzzled on stage about how the industry could become more sustainable? And that DIN, in particular, spent a year with 550 experts dealing with the highly complex topic of the circular economy? What would the 15 minute video on the 550 years of DIN work have been, a snap. And hey, our bike was by no means perfect. But neither were the first car and the first mobile phone. And no, it's not about injured honor. It is frightening how little attention is paid to sustainability.

The bio bike is dead, long live the circular bio bike. Since we had just received the confirmation to be the first bicycle supplier to be able to sell on Germany's largest shop for sustainable products, the Avocado Store, we were able to produce our photos earlier, so curiously enough we got an advantage from the refusal. But we really would have liked to have learned. Unfortunately not possible with opacity. A pity! We then provided this transparency in the avocado store: We meet 9 of the 10 sustainability criteria. The only reason we don't have the tenth is that it relates to textiles. And we found it a bit silly to combine our organic cotton rim tape with it.

I wonder why we are the only ones in the avocado store with our mini brand. We are now also the first to come up with Greenpicks, and we are the first to have upcycling bikes on Refurbed. Why is everyone doing so little? What could we all achieve together? It would be incredible.

And hey, I promise, we'll be annoying. For example in our capacity as a member of the CSR and Sustainability Expert Group of the CIE. Until the industry is green and not just painted green.