Transforming for circularity
Sustainable product design
100% Plastic Free:
Giant Group's Eco-revolution
in Sustainable Packaging
A Giant Group vision
At Giant Group, where our love for bicycles meets a passion for sustainability, we're raising the bar of the cycling industry with eco-conscious packaging. Our unwavering commitment propels us to go 100% plastic-free, reshaping the way bicycles are packaged and transported. By harnessing innovative materials and advanced technology, we're forging a greener cycling future.
“Effective sustainable packaging needs a holistic packaging design strategy.”
– Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Why materials matter
At Giant Group, we obsess over our bicycles, recognizing that around 80% of a product's environmental impact takes shape during the design phase per the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. This prompted us to eliminate conventional, non-recyclable protective materials like bubble wraps, zip ties, rubber bands, foam pearls, and plastic bags, which often find their way into landfills or incinerators, causing pollution.
Our quest to find innovative, eco-friendly materials and design techniques led to substantial plastic reductions from 2021 to 2023, moving us closer to our goal of 100% plastic-free bicycles. To date, we’ve removed 27.5 tons of plastic from our mountain bicycles and 5.9 tons from our electric mountain bicycles. This progress will culminate in a major milestone – starting from the model year 2025, all of our bikes will be entirely plastic-free. An important step in the right direction that builds momentum and will lead to greater impacts in 2025 and beyond.
“The hunt for eco-friendly materials has its challenges due to varying environmental standards globally. Despite these hurdles, our dedication to sustainability remains unwavering,” said Wayne, Section Manager of Assembly Technology Department at Giant Group Taiwan Manufacturing.
HIGHLIGHT 1
At Giant Group, we reduced 64 cushion materials to only 24 in 2023 and just 13 starting with the model year 2025, demonstrating our ambition and commitment to sustainable packaging.
Reinventing our processes with tech
Did you know that every kilogram of plastic waste emits a hefty 3.14 kilograms of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas? This means reducing plastic waste directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and by 2030, we are targeting a reduction of 40kg of carbon dioxide per bicycle.
Our journey toward sustainability marries material reduction and innovative technology. At Giant Group, our tech innovations include using renewable, repulpable paper tape for outer packaging, along with replacing packaging paper with paper tape for bike frame protection labels.
HIGHLIGHT 2
Our use of renewable and repulpable tape ensures paper boxes can be easily recycled without the hassle of tape removal.
Withstanding the test of transportation
Transportation's role in waste reduction often goes unnoticed, but not at Giant Group. Our golden rule is to transport bicycles sustainably without compromising safety. That's why we revamped our packaging – starting from our electric bicycles – to boost container loading, a move that reduces our end-to-end transportation carbon footprint. To date, one of our greatest achievements was upping container loading from 96 units to 144 per container for electric bicycles, a 50% increase!
Many of our bicycles' packaging now boasts ISTA Modified 3A certification. The International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) 3A test program is a complete simulation test for individual packages that will be transported through the proper transportation systems. This certification signifies that our packaging has passed rigorous tests simulating the real-world challenges a package might encounter during transportation. These tests evaluate a package's resilience through various handling scenarios, drops, and vibrations.
HIGHLIGHT 3
Our packaging is not only ISTA Modified 3A certified; we've also increased container loading by 50% for electric bicycles.
From box to road
Top-tier products and packaging combine sustainability with a user-centric approach. At Giant Group, we scrutinize every detail, taking into consideration the bicycle’s entire journey, to ensure our partners and customers can unbox and hit the road swiftly. With our streamlined packaging design, unboxing and bicycle preparation are a breeze.
HIGHLIGHT 4
Our innovative packaging designs have slashed average unboxing time by 50%.
“We have already achieved a 100% plastic-free e-mountain bicycle, and we will soon hit our 100% plastic-free target for all regular bicycle models. For the future, we aim to further collaborate closely with our suppliers and improve the overall exterior design of our packaging.”
– Wayne, Section Manager of the Assembly Technology Department at Giant Group Taiwan Manufacturing.
Paving the way towards a greener future
At Giant Group, we recognize the quest to become fully sustainable is an ongoing journey. We remain steadfast in our commitment to sourcing biodegradable and recyclable materials, reducing plastics and fossil-derived products, extending the use of recyclable materials and product lifecycles, as well as minimizing waste, and phasing out conventional plastic packaging. Our achievements reflect our dedication to exploring and incorporating innovative materials to create a more sustainable future for all. And this is just the beginning.