Published May 5, 2022 07:00AM
New Cannondale 100% Compostable Bottle for pro racing is exactly that
EF Education teams sponsored by Cannondale use 34,000 bottles a year, the brand says. The bottle won't be sold, but will be for teams only.
Beginning with the Giro d’Italia, EF Education-EasyPost will be using compostable bottles from team sponsor Cannondale instead of standard plastic water bottles. The bottle model is titled in a straightforward manner: the Cannondale 100% Compostable Bottle.
The women’s team that Cannondale sponsors, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, will start using the compostable bottles at its next race, the Itzulia Women stage race.
Cannondale estimates that some 630,000 bottles are used each year in pro racing. Together, the two Cannondale-sponsored EF Education teams use 34,000 bottles a year.
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“Minimizing our environmental footprint involves understanding what our impacts are and where they occur,” a press release from Cannondale read. “Cannondale wants to change this by using better materials that replace single-use bottles and push towards a more sustainable solution.”
Standard water bottles are recyclable and can of course be used multiple times; however WorldTour racers toss multiple bottles aside in every race in designated zones on course.
The Cannondale 100% Compostable Bottle is made from plant-derived materials, including the cap and bite valve.
“The Cannondale Compostable Bottle was born out of our brand mission to disrupt the status quo through innovation,” said Jonathan Geran, Cannondale’s global director of sports marketing. “In launching this bottle with our WorldTour team partners, we’re able to take one unified step towards a more sustainable future in the global ecosystem, while inspiring ideas for more eco-friendly practices in the pro peloton.”
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Cannondale claims that the bottle will decompose as quickly as three months in an industrial compost system. The bottle is certified by European Compost Standards EN13432. If composted at home, the process may take approximately a year, Cannondale claims.
The bottle will not be sold. But Cannondale will provide the design and license to other WorldTour teams beginning in 2023. Terms of that arrangement were not yet public, as to whether other teams were interested, nor if this would be a paid license arrangement.
The Giro d’Italia begins Friday in Budapest, Hungary.
