The move away from petrol power is one big ‘green’ change that the bike industry is making, but Yamaha has announced another, smaller revolution, with a move to using recycled plastic in its bikes.
The new recycled polypropylene comes from so-called ‘pre-consumer’ recycling, which uses cleaner source material and will be used for the outer body panels of the firm’s commuter models, to begin with. Perhaps surprisingly, the material is claimed to be even better than “virgin” polypropylene in terms of performance and looks. It is a small change that Yamaha reckons will help it reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.