The starting signal has been given, the igus:bike® is on a world tour. To celebrate igus’s 60th birthday, the innovative, bright orange bicycle made from recycled plastic will be travelling the world for a whole year. The aim: to familiarise industry partners, media representatives and consumers with a new form of urban mobility that combines a fun ride with sustainability. The urban bike represents many of the advantages of igus products, the “motion plastics”: it does not rust, requires no oil and is virtually maintenance-free. The ball bearings, drive and freewheel also do not need lubricating as they are made from high-performance plastics. At the same time, the igus:bike is an example of how the transformation to a sustainable circular economy of plastics can succeed.
Plastic products have many uses and have become indispensable for everyday life. But when they reach the end of their service life, they often end up in the incinerator. Conserving valuable resources and protecting the environment requires a sustainable plastics industry. The Cologne-based plastics specialist igus is pursuing this conservation goal with its “Chainge” recycling platform. The company has now invested in cirplus, a start-up based in Hamburg. The companies have a joint vision of closing the plastics cycle and initiating a revolution in the trade of recycled materials from technical and standard thermoplastics.
The digital transformation in industry requires new business models for more flexible, efficient production. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things are creating new opportunities to address customers with smart products and services. In the spirit of open innovation, igus, the motion plastics specialist, uses ideas from young talent to develop new solutions and has now participated in the first Hackathon by Innovation Hub Bergisches RheinLand e.V. As part of the project, TH Köln students developed concepts for use-based igus smart plastics business models.
