Igus celebrates 60th anniversary with plastic bike odyssey

Over the next 12 months the igus:bike, the world’s first bike made using recycled plastic, will be travelling through at least 16 countries , including Germany, Italy, China, and the UK – in order to promote the circular economy of plastics.

The bike - which doesn’t rust, doesn’t need oil and is almost entirely maintenance-free - is made using using 50 per cent recycled ocean plastic from discarded fishing nets. All of the individual components – from the frame to the bearings and drive crank - are manufactured by igus using rotational and injection moulding. See it in action in this video:

Since the start of development, the material researchers have succeeded in gradually increasing the percentage of recycled plastic– and the trend is rising. This makes it possible to process discarded fishing nets, shampoo bottles and other plastic waste into recycled pellets for rotomoulding machines, turning these into a valuable resource. The ultimate goal is to establish local production near waste plants worldwide and therefore close the plastic recycling loop.