At this week’s Interbike we’ve seen bikes made of steel, titanium , aluminum and of course carbon fiber, not to mention bamboo. We’ve heard about bikes made of wood and now Izhar Gafni is working on a bike made of recycled cardboard.
While the bike still needs some traditional parts, such as tires, brakes and chain, the rest is made from cardboard! But that’s not the biggest deal. Gafni said the production cost is just $9. The idea is that the bike could be made cheaply and provided as a form of transportation for those in the developing world. Video after the jump
We’ve seen a number of innovative bags from Timbuk2 this season, but this month the company has gone Full-Cycle, with its new brand of recycled/upcycled bags. These feature fabrics and webbing that come from recycled plastic bottles, while the straps and buckles are made from post-industrial and post-consumer materials.
Nike is a big player on the grid iron for the way football is played in America, but it also has a new boot for the pitch as well. The new Nike GS Football Boot – designed for what we in the States call soccer – promises to be the lightest and most innovative shoe yet. It is also quite green, and not just in color.
Who says the concept of a minimal shoe should be confined to running? Much like compression clothing, minimal footwear now represents relaxation and recovery as much as it does competition.
In a country of over 300 million people, the United States has very few manufacturers making shoes for all of those feet. Most of those jobs have headed outside our boarders into countries with lower wages and lower environmental regulations, but not all have left. In fact, there are some companies that have started up and are thriving based on the idea of creating a niche product instead of trying to become overly diversified. One such company is Okabashi Brands, Inc. of Buford, GA. Their low-cost, environmentally friend shoes are 100% recyclable and are made in America. 
We like the idea of seeing fitness products reused as something cool when they reach their end of life. The truth is that not every product can be easily recycled so seeing something that can’t be used for exercise but can still make a statement, and not just end up in a land fill, is truly inspiring.