Brompton’s CEO Will Butler-Adams says the cycling industry is “probably behind the automotive industry” on sustainability, particularly the environmental impact of its supply chains.
He says the cycling industry “is not shining itself in glory and needs to do more” to minimise its environmental footprint and address climate change.
Butler-Adams made the remarks while speaking to BikeRadar ahead of Brompton releasing its 2023 sustainability report and announcing the folding bike manufacturer is now B Corp Certified.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that are “a force for good”, setting high standards for social and environmental performance and balancing “profit with purpose”, according to B Lab, the nonprofit organisation that awards the certification.
Earning B Corp Certification
To receive B Corp certification, a company must complete a B Impact Assessment, answering 300 questions across five topics – governance, workers, community, environment and customers – and achieve at least 80 points to qualify.
According to its new sustainability report, Brompton achieved an overall score of 85.1. On ‘environment’, Brompton scored 16.4, in part thanks to its Bike Hire scheme, which it estimates has helped avoid 208 tonnes of carbon emissions, and cutting its factory waste in half over the last five years.
Brompton scored the most points for ‘workers’ – 22.7 – citing its status as a Living Wage employer, among other benefits.
Brompton is vocal about its commitment to reducing emissions through manufacturing – including plans for a new factory – and promoting active travel. So, why seek B Corp Certification?
“The truth is we sort of don’t need to [have B Corp Certification] – because we’re doing it anyway,” says Butler-Adams.
“But B Corp status has a sufficient level of recognition that it does mean something… it’s probably the most respected accreditation.”
Butler-Adams says B Corp Certification also helps companies on their journeys towards environmental and social responsibility.
The third-party approval of a B Corp Certification can also be seen to give credibility to a company’s activities and a dose of good publicity. But Butler-Adams emphasises how the “B Corp community shares best practices, so it can help us on our journey to develop and to grow.”
Butler-Adams says Brompton already audits its suppliers on health and safety, sustainability, community and staffing, but the B Corp Certification gives it more leverage.
“If we can be a B Corp ourselves, it gives us more credibility when we’re going in there and saying ‘Wow guys, you shouldn’t be doing this, and you should be doing that’.”
More to be done
Butler-Adams says the cycling industry needs to do more to tackle its environmental impact and suggests the lack of B Corp-certified companies in the industry is because the products themselves can play a part in reducing emissions.
“The bike industry is, by its nature very green, but when you look under the carpet, the supply chain, how the bike industry operates, is not green,” he says.
Butler-Adams says companies in Europe and North America are keen to move quickly when it comes to environmental issues, but points to the supply chain in Asia as being behind.
“Taiwan, even though it’s producing outstanding quality, hasn’t got there,” he says. “You start speaking to people about whether they’ve switched their electricity to green electricity – the easiest thing that everybody ought to be doing – and they look at you like you’re some sort of weirdo.”
“The bike industry is probably behind the automotive industry, and other industries, in really tackling its supply chain,” he says, citing issues such as who is making componentry, where effluent goes and the production of aluminium and steel.
Metal is the “hardest nut to crack” when it comes to creating a low-emissions product, according to Butler-Adams, but Brompton has begun to address this issue.
Last year, it partnered with Hydro, an aluminium and energy company that will supply Brompton with recycled aluminium and help it reduce its carbon footprint.
Butler-Adams reckons 20 per cent of Brompton’s parts are aluminium – including cranks, brake calipers and handlebars – and believes it’s possible to get “very, very close” to a zero-carbon product in the future.
