Squirt Cycling changes bike wash packaging to reduce user costs and help the planet
Another brilliant tweak to their bike cleaner packaging reduces plastic output 10-fold, saves potable water and significantly lowers the quantity of liquid shipped to their 50-odd global distributors. Well done guys, we love this! Here’s the official release from Squirt:
Squirt Cycling Products adds to environmentally friendly range with Bike Cleaner Super Concentrate Sachets
Squirt Cycling Products’ Biodegradable Bike Cleaner has proven – in the harshest conditions, of muddy mountain bike stage races – to be up to the task of keeping bicycles clean. While bulk consumers like bike shops, cycling teams and events choose to use 5L concentrate refills, for individual (home) users the new 20ml sachet is ideal. Not only does it allow for the reusing of Squirt’s Bike Cleaner spray bottles but the sachets also reduce plastic waste and transportation costs.
“We are committed to reducing the amount of single-use plastic Squirt Cycling Products are responsible for,” Danie van Wyk, of Squirt Cycling Products, said. “The Squirt Biodegradable Bike Cleaner 20ml sachet is the next innovation we’ve implemented which helps us reduce the amount of plastic our factory produces. Last year we introduced the Squirt Eco Box, which allows riders to refill their Squirt Chain Lube applicator bottles at their local bike shops, and this year we added an upcycle-able EasyFill Pouch to our Squirt SEAL Tyre Sealant range. While the aim of all of these products is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we produce, we also wanted to ensure that the products make the lives of riders easier; thus, making the environmentally friendly decision also the practical decision.”
“The sachets reduce our plastic output more than 10-fold, when compared to the current 1-litre concentrate bottles,” Van Wyk explained. “But that isn’t their only benefit. The plastic used in the Squirt Bike Cleaner sachets can be repurposed, through up-cycling, into a new plastic stream or can be converted to fuel in waste-to-energy plants. The formula we use to fill them with is also more concentrated than our old formula. This means we save potable water and reduce the weight of the product we ship from our South African factory all around the world. The weight savings leads directly to a saving for the rider too, as the new sachets are cheaper for the consumer.”
The 20ml sachets are developed to be poured into the Squirt spray bottle, to which 730ml of water is then added. Once filled, riders need only spray the diluted bike cleaner onto their dirty bike, give it a minute or two to loosen up the dirt and then hose the bike down. For stubborn mud and gritty drivetrains, Squirt Bike Cleaner’s cleansing can be aided by scrubbing with a soft cloth or a firm bristled brush, as suitable for the various components of the bike.
Squirt Bike Cleaner is APEO-free, biodegradable and not harmful to the environment when diluted and used as intended. The formula is non-bio-accumulative, PFAS-free, POP-free and is phosphate-free optimised. Practically [for example], this means one can wash bicycles on a lawn, without the bike cleaner harming the grass. Cyclists will be able to purchase Squirt’s Bike Cleaner, with a 750ml spray bottle and 3 refill sachets, at all participating bicycle stores from June 2022. The spray bottle is designed for multiple uses, so when the time comes to restock on the 20ml sachets it is possible to purchase them as single sachets or in a 10-unit box. For more information visit Squirt Cycling Products.
| IMAGE: Ewald Sadie |
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