Casual pump track in the courtyard, historical prototypes to touch and lots of professional material. Visits to Sram are always a highlight. But the topic of today's tour through the hallowed shifting halls is both new and a little scratchy: sustainability. Andreas Kölsch, Frank Schmidt and Alex Büttner are waiting in the foyer of the company headquarters in Schweinfurt. Sram - the second largest component manufacturer in the world - is sending high-ranking representatives to explain to us today how it intends to deal with resources in the future. Above all, the duo of Kölsch and Schmidt are regarded in the industry as a guarantee of success for innovations. Products created at the desks of this team have the potential to change the entire market. The best proof of this is Sram's 1x12 Eagle drivetrains or the AXS wireless technology. Kölsch looks at the product displays scattered around the room and then joins in the conversation: "We don't need to kid ourselves: We have plenty of potential to become more sustainable. And today we're not just talking about product packaging, but about actual product development." Wow, that really hit the spot and made one thing clear right at the start of the day: today it's not just about marketing. No phrases, no promises, no greenwashing. It's about an outline of the status quo, the possible paths to a greener future and the first small steps towards it.
When we were looking for partners for our RIDE-GREEN project a year ago, we were contacted by Sram. The two-day workshop held by the eco-professionals from the Cradle to Cradle NGO for everyone involved in the project got the ball rolling at the development centre in Schweinfurt. "The eco-professionals from the Cradle to Cradle NGO inspired us with their views," explains Frank Schmidt. During the workshop at the beginning of May, it quickly became clear that in 2021, sustainability can no longer just be dealt with by using product packaging made from recycled paper. Only with a holistic approach that takes into account production, function and recycling options can truly sustainable products be developed. "I was inspired by the perspectives of the speakers at the workshop," Kölsch recalls of the two days in spring. And when such words are spoken in the creative department of an industry giant, there is a good chance that other manufacturers will also start to rethink in the future.
Inspired by the eco-workshop, the developers subsequently developed three central pillars that should influence every specification for new products in future. In addition to durability, improved reparability and the ability to recycle by type were defined as the most important starting points for more sustainable products. To symbolise this, the developers have now draped a futuristic-looking gearshift assembly on three blocks of wood. Kölsch takes the floor again so as not to raise false expectations: "A development cycle for a gearshift assembly takes us three to five years." What we are presented with today are existing products or unsaleable prototypes (see details on page 110). It was hardly to be expected that a heavyweight like Sram - with over 200 employees at the Schweinfurt site alone - would simply turn its product portfolio green. However, the initial details look promising and the thought processes for the "Shifting of the future" project are clearly structured.
Alex Büttner - responsible for the development of the cassettes - uses the prototype he produced for our project to demonstrate the factors that need to be weighed up when it comes to sustainability. When it comes to the durability of the drivetrain, the customer already has a choice. Sram's XO Eagle cassettes not only enjoy a reputation for being virtually indestructible, but also last around three times as long as their significantly cheaper NX counterparts, according to our wear test. It's similar to food in the supermarket: if you're prepared to spend more money, you can already get a more sustainable alternative. According to a representative survey on our website at the start of the project, this is 50 per cent of bikers.
To further improve the eco-balance, the largest sprocket of the prototype cassette was also made of steel and not aluminium, as in the original. "This allows the cassette to be recycled by type without having to disassemble it at great expense," says Büttner, explaining the reasons for this. However, bikers have to accept a minimal increase in weight.
Frank Schmidt has also worked intensively on the topic of raw material recovery. Schmitt, himself a thoroughbred biker and regularly on the road with a race number on his handlebars, is not a loudspeaker. But when he says something, it resonates with his American colleagues. Because Schmidt backs up his statements with hard facts, as is typical of an engineer. "I once took the trouble to completely dismantle our XO Eagle rear derailleur," smiles the lanky developer. Even as an experienced mechanic trained in the product, it takes almost 15 minutes to separate the various raw materials in the rear derailleur. Schmidt presents a sorting box with the results of his analyses. Steel, spring steel, forged aluminium, cast aluminium, carbon, plastic, fibre-reinforced plastic and rubber are neatly sorted in the box. If the aim is to recover raw materials by type, as envisaged for a circular economy based on the cradle-to-cradle principle, this has to be done more quickly. One compartment of the sorting box also contains parts that consist of multiple, inseparable materials. "We want to avoid this kind of thing in future wherever possible," explains Schmidt, inspecting the component of the rear derailleur in which the rear derailleur damping is located. This is because recycling is extremely complex and inefficient whenever parts made from different raw materials are riveted, pressed or glued together inseparably. A company that wants to be truly sustainable has to rethink its products down to the smallest detail. Sram is still talking a lot in the subjunctive mood. But when the head of the development department goes to the trouble of dismantling a product down to the smallest screw, you have to assume that the issue is being taken seriously.
Tim Janßen, CEO of the Cradle to Cradle NGO, avoids the subjunctive and paints a clear picture of the future in the workshop at the beginning of May: "The competition for raw materials is becoming increasingly brutal." Anyone who manufactures physical products and wants to survive in the long term must start now to build up their own raw material recovery system in order to become less dependent on material suppliers. A fact that has already been confirmed by the supply problems during the coronavirus pandemic. What sounds logical and simple, however, entails a rat's tail. After all, setting up reverse logistics for broken or used products is complex and time-consuming. "As a large component manufacturer, we can set the tone here," Kölsch realises. "But without the bike shops, material suppliers and, of course, the bikers themselves, we can't change the world either." The Product Manager does not want to shift responsibility, but is realistic. For a greener future, all market participants must be held accountable.
Reverse logistics, single-variety recycling, longer shelf life. Unfortunately, the most important concepts of sustainability exude the charm of an Excel spreadsheet. If the topic is to gain real momentum, it needs to become more tangible for bikers. As if on command, Chris Hilton, the mastermind behind Eagle technology, cruises into the industrial hall on the outskirts of Schweinfurt on his fully. With his lunch ride, the industry veteran demonstrates what sustainability is all about. Everyday life on the trails. In the lunch break, at the weekend, after work. But where is the topic of sustainability reflected here? Schmidt and Kölsch have been waiting for the question, but don't want to give a concrete answer. Even though the point at which engineers and product managers could start is obvious. After all, where there is biking, some parts break. Defects in the gears are just as inevitable when practising the sport as dirt-smeared calves. The exposed position under the chainstay has cost many a rear derailleur its life. If the parallelogram bends on contact with nature or the tension spring breaks off, in most cases this means the death of the entire component. This is about to change.
Kölsch pronounces the magic word: "repairability". Even today, derailleur pulleys and parts of the cage can be purchased individually to repair defects or wear on the rear derailleur. However, this point is to be expanded even further in the future. "Especially with very expensive components, it is not only in the interests of nature, but also in the interests of the customer if it is easier to replace individual parts and not have to throw away the entire rear derailleur," Kölsch explains his thoughts. However, he does not want to be more specific. However, the reason for the secrecy is easy to work out. If a development cycle for a derailleur takes three to five years, as mentioned at the beginning, and the Sram XO1 Eagle was presented in 2016, it can't be long before a relaunch of the derailleur group is due. "We can't say anything about that," smiles Kölsch. He only reveals this much: "Every future component that is developed here at Sram has three chapters in its specifications: Durability, reparability and recyclability." Future products will show how these points are actually implemented.
The road to a more sustainable future is still a long one, and it also harbours many obstacles. But here in Schweinfurt, we have at least started walking.
The eco MTB circuit in detail
In order to minimise the ecological footprint of the drivetrain, Sram has combined particularly durable shifting components to create a groupset and supplemented it with specially manufactured prototypes. We will complete our RIDE-GREEN concept bike with the help of this drivetrain and report on it shortly.
Sram - the company
Sram is the second largest component manufacturer in the world after Shimano. The company was founded in Chicago (USA) in 1987. Initially, the product range consisted only of twist shifters for gear systems. In the mid-90s, the German company Fichtel und Sachs was acquired and at the same time the product portfolio was continuously expanded. Today, the Rockshox, Zipp, Truvativ, Time and Quarq brands are also part of the Sram Group. The former Fichtel and Sachs site at Romstraße 1 in Schweinfurt is still Sram's development centre for drivetrains.
With our RIDE-GREEN campaign, we have joined forces with industry partners and experts from the Cradle to Cradle NGO to address the issue of sustainability. In BIKE 1/22, we present the resulting components on our sustainable mountain bike.
