The other day, I was watching a YouTube video about how much plastic the world consumes on a yearly basis, and how a staggeringly large percentage of this ends up as waste floating around in the ocean. As it would turn out, there’s such a thing called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—a mass of garbage that’s twice the size of Texas floating around in the North Pacific Ocean.
Indeed, to say this sucks is a massive understatement, and I think we’re all to blame because of this. Now, you may be wondering where I’m going with all this woke environmental talk, but naturally, this has led me to wonder what we, as motorcyclists, can do to reduce waste on an individual level. Indeed, there are many ways to go about this, such as being mindful about the things we buy, as well as being responsible with waste management. However, you could say that these are all reactive measures as opposed to proactive ones.
Having said all that, Italian gear maker Tucano Urbano sure is taking a proactive stance when it comes to plastic waste management, as it has just released its Good Wheels range of apparel, which is made mostly out of recycled plastic bottles. On top of that, Tucano Urbano recognizes how packaging can greatly contribute to the problem of waste, and so all the gear under the Good Wheels line come with minimal packaging also made out of recyclable materials.
Tucano Urbano’s Good Wheels range of riding gear consists of the Orbis medium-cut men’s jacket, which is made out of recycled polyester sourced from plastic bottles. It retails for 249.90 Euros, which translates to $249.90 USD, given today’s one-to-one conversion rate. The apparel lineup also consists of the Monte men’s parka and Stella ladies’ parka—both of which are wind and waterproof, and retail for $269.90 USD. Last but not least, the Globis gloves are also part of the lineup, and are also made out of the same recycled polyester. Designed for cold weather, these thermal gloves retail for 64.90 Euros ($64.90 USD).
Understandably, Tucano Urbano’s recycled product range isn’t cheap, as a lot of technology and processes are required to transform garbage into valuable riding equipment. Needless to say, Tucano Urbano’s initiative is an admirable one, and could certainly pave the way for more sustainable gear options in the future.
