Schwalbe reveals first bike tyre made from used tyres

Schwalbe’s project to produce the first recycled bicycle tyre made from used tyres has come to fruition with the Green Marathon.

“Closing the loop, the Green Marathon is produced with 100% fairly traded natural rubber and consists of 70% recycled and renewable materials. Years of R&D work went into the product, incorporating the currently largest possible range of recycled and renewable raw materials, says Schwalbe.

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.”

Schwalbe’s tire recycling programme yields first product

Schwalbe’s goal was to develop the most environmentally friendly bicycle tyre ever.

Summer 2022 saw Schwalbe unveil the Schwalbe Recycling System, developed 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 tires.

In addition, the tire 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 other environmentally friendly components of the Green Marathon:

• 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.
• The puncture protection belt GreenGuard is made from one third recycled latex products, the other two thirds are Fair Rubber.
• The bead core wire is made of recycled steel.

Schwalbe has implemented a more modern and sporty tread design for this environmental benchmark product. Schwalbe said it has set the standard for mileage and puncture protection. The Green Marathon is ideally suited for daily use and for all everyday situations for urban and touring riders. This makes it ideally suited for both eBikes and bicycles – it manages the balancing act between the two segments without compromise. The size portfolio has also been expanded, with modern eBike sizes consistently added.