Networking for Success

Almost a year ago, 22 companies signed the “Bike Charta”, committing themselves to more sustainability in the bicycle industry. The "Bike Charta" is the Corporate Social Responsibility action plan for resource conservation, sustainability and climate protection for products and services in the bicycle industry. The charter includes 18 headline topics with a total of 110 practical options for action. 

Learn more about the Bike Charta

In addition to developing the Bike Charta last year, the alliance is tackling other cross-industry issues. At a meeting in May 2022, a presentation was made on how the city of Hamburg, together with the Ministry for Transport and Mobility Transition (Behörde für Verkehr und Mobilitätswende; BVM), would like to create a more sustainable mobility system.  In addition to the construction of bicycle boulevards and bicycle parking spaces, the city enters into a dialogue with the citizens to prepare the urban mobility system for the future.

At the last meeting at Jobrad in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany) in October, the members of the Bikebrainpool discussed issues such as innovations in the field of user experience, services, operational mobility and the issue of skill shortage. The Lord Mayor of the city of Freiburg spoke about how he and his team are pushing forward the mobility transition in Freiburg and the difficulties they are facing. 

The VeloLab is an innovation platform for cycling and an exciting place where municipalities, research, media, civil society and the cycling industry network. The project funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport tackles a wide range of topics – from improved bollard designs for more road user safety through to a platform for sustainable materials in product development. We are currently participating in various project groups and are working on topics such as SecondCycle, sustainable materials and cycling in rural areas. 

Second cycle programmes, for example, are becoming more and more important. For example, the EU is setting new requirements on eco design and the recyclability of products as part of the Green Deal. The use of biodegradable materials, recyclability and the promotion of repair and take-back could soon no longer be just "nice to have" criteria for products, brands and retailers, but become legally binding. As part of the VeloLab, we deal with take-back processes with participants from different sectors and want to take more responsibility for the resources used (e.g. for bicycles at the end of their product life cycle).

“Unternehmen FahrRad” is a strategic alliance of companies and associations from the cycling industry for the promotion cycling in Germany. The alliance serves as a platform for a regular transfer of knowledge and exchange of ideas. At the same time, it is a powerful tool for making politicians, business representatives and associations aware of the great potential of the bicycle as a means of transport in tourism, environmental protection and health care. The initiative has proven its worth ever since and has had a decisive influence on the changing role of the bicycle in recent years. At the last meetings in Düsseldorf and Reichhof, topics like the bicycle and local mobility law of North Rhine-Westphalia and the status of bicycle traffic in federal politics were discussed. 

The “Bundesverband Zukunft Fahrrad” is an association of dynamic and innovative companies from all sectors of the bicycle industry: service providers, manufacturers, retailers, digitalisation start-ups and suppliers. The main focus of the association lies on services. The aim is clearly defined: to jointly drive forward a sustainable mobility revolution. The bicycle plays a central role in achieving this goal. If Germany wants to keep up with the global competition in new and electric mobility, the right political course must be set. For this reason, the association brings its market expertise into political decision-making processes. In addition, great importance is attached to ensuring that all products and services promoted through the association meet the highest standards of sustainability and quality.

Global supply chains and bottlenecks, political unrest and the effects of climate change present the bicycle industry with entirely new challenges that cannot be solved by local networking and action alone. It is therefore all the more important that we also exchange ideas with partners outside Germany. We are for example involved in the Shift Cycling Culture. The European initiative states in its mission: “We accelerate the shift to responsible production and use in the cycling world by telling inspiring stories, enabling collaboration, developing capability and supporting action on climate change.”  

Tijdens het evenement Environmental Impact Cycling Barcamp in januari 2023 kwamen deskundigen van aangesloten bedrijven en duurzaamheidsliefhebbers bijeen in de "Fair Factory" van fietsenfabrikant Roetz-Bikes in Amsterdam. Tijdens dit evenement werd besproken hoe relevante uitdagingen zoals transparantie in de toeleveringsketen, duurzame productie van fietsen en kleding en duurzame mobiliteit gezamenlijk kunnen worden bevorderd met behulp van samenwerkingsverbanden.

The ZIV is the national representation of the interests of the German and international bicycle industry. The alliance sees its core task in representing the interests of the approximately 100 member companies vis-à-vis legislators, government, authorities, the media, institutions and organisations. Through a high level of commitment, the ZIV contributes to the political dialogue by seeking a regular exchange with representatives from politics, administration, associations and science. Continuous monitoring enables the ZIV to keep the industry informed about the most important political developments. The association takes a public stand to draw attention to the need for action, opportunities and challenges and to implement changes in the legislative process.