How was the industry response to the Eurobike Sustainability Day and your call for more collaboration?

We have seen quite an increase in the number of companies who want to join the group also because sustainability created a positive trend in Europe in general. We also see that the topic has been propelled forward since Eurobike. Besides the event itself it was good to see that it was a joint effort of several industry associations next to CONEBI and CIE. For example, the German association who launched the reporting guidelines based on the German sustainability reporting standard. It was received very well and a lot of companies are currently working to put their first CSR reports out there.

The event also took corporations to the next level, for example with the US organisation PeopleforBikes. We operate a similar structure with an expert group, priority groups and frequent meetings. We also have a bi-monthly meeting with them to update each other. The same format was adopted by the industry initiative ‘Bicycle Alliance on Sustainability’ (BAS) in Taiwan. The meetings are also attended by the UCI, who have put together a very thorough sustainability strategy. Together we created this global momentum which clearly marks the current need to put sustainability on our industry's agenda.

What actions have been taken by the group since Eurobike?

We are working on a climate action guideline that was supposed to go along with the climate action pledge. It is currently in its final stage, but I can’t give you more details yet. The CO2 and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) guideline makes this topic very complex. A lot of companies are working on that and it's a really thorough document. However, it got so complex that we wanted to invite external specialists for more in-depth information. Once that has happened, we can launch the climate action guideline.

After Eurobike we also finalised a survey regarding the battery and battery components collection system to gather more data from the industry and to get an overview of the existing collection systems in all EU member states. We also analysed the data of a survey that looked into the repairability, reusability and recyclability of the major bike component categories.

Putting together a CSR strategy for the industry is the next project on our list. The first steps have been taken to develop a material assessment. We have finalised the methodology for that, and we have announced another survey which went out to all the industry stakeholders. This includes a thorough selection of CSR topics in several action fields. Based on the outcome of the survey we can see which sustainability topics are actually relevant for the industry and where do we need to set our priorities in terms of future industry initiatives.

CSR related issues bring a lot of work for companies. Especially for the many SME's in the bicycle industry it is difficult to handle. How should they deal with it?

This issue is raised very often. Thun is also a small company in the industry and besides the CIE and CONEBI sustainability expert group we are in several other sustainability associations outside the cycling industry. Managing sustainability comes down to how you view this in terms of mindset. Of course, there is a lot of regulation and a lot of new legislation being thrown at us in Europe and everybody is talking about bureaucracy. As a small company, Thun gets audited a lot. It takes a lot of time, but we regard it as free business consulting which propels us further. We in Europe have the luxury, not the pain, that we are living in a state community and on a continent that wants to be climate neutral first. On top of that we are dealing with a product that is sustainable in its usage. We just need to live up to this, and see it as an opportunity. The challenge is not in the terms of the CSR reporting standards. The big challenges lie in what we are facing as an industry. One day we will be confronted with the question how do we reinvent our business models?

The question is not only how to make them sustainable, but also regenerative.

The question is not only how to make them sustainable, but also regenerative. So, if we now as an industry are already worried about new legislation I can tell you, this is only the start. Compare it with financial reporting. We all hire accountants to do very strict financial reporting according to rules and guidelines. Finance is only a support department, which is not generating revenue. The same goes for sustainability.

What can we expect from the CIE and CONEBI sustainability expert group in 2024?

We are still in the process of making the materiality analysis which will be discussed at the first kick-off meeting next year. We are also considering a priority group for the LCA standardisation. LCA is a different ballgame than measuring carbon footprint. For example, the system boundaries are very, very difficult to define. You really have to look at what is happening in your upstream supply chain. The LCA standardization is important for making fair comparisons between companies. That's why we currently recommend companies to be careful in terms of publishing product carbon footprints.

The circular economy and supply chain priority group will focus eco design and circularity. They will also help companies, if they haven't done yet, to align themselves with industry standards in terms of eco design and sustainable products and product development. Besides these projects, we are very closely looking at the EU Commission to see what priorities they are going to set.

Following the study by the Bicycle Association (BA) in collaboration with CIE on diversity in the industry we are considering creating a new working group to tackle our industry’s lack of proper diversity management. This is a situation we don’t want as an industry, so it is important for our industry to catch up.

Will you be at the Eurobike Sustainability Day again?

We expect this event to take place again in 2024 and we will be present. We are also in contact with the Taipei Cycle Show for a presentation during the event.

How does the sustainability expert group work?

The work we do as an expert group is only possible thanks to the structure that CONEBI and CIE offer. They do the majority of the work like surveys, analysis and desktop research.

All members of the sustainability expert group are either direct members of CIE or one of the national industry organisations affiliated with CONEBI. Around 80 of these companies are currently active in the expert group. They basically approve initiatives and new projects. The two leading topics ‘CO₂ greenhouse’ and ‘circular economy and supply chain’ are each delegated to priority groups. These groups work out all the details like the packaging pledge. They provide the high-quality input during the expert group meetings when it comes to the overarching legislation in terms of sustainability.

Because CONEBI and CIE are based in Brussels and have a close network within the European Commission they have a good insight into the legislation process. Several specialists on sustainability topics are based in Brussels and they have already given keynote speeches for the expert group. The knowledge sharing not only comes from these specialists, but also from inside the bicycle industry. Several companies have already established working processes or can be referred to as best practices.

The CIE and CONEBI sustainability expert group is a joint effort of which I am just the chairperson besides being Co-CEO at our company Alfred Thun GmbH. Unfortunately, Alec Seaman of the British Bicycle Association is no longer vice chairperson and we are currently looking for his replacement.