Trek and Bontrager announced a re-release of its longest-standing unchanged product today. Bat Cage, the injection-molded water bottle cage first introduced in 1997, is now made from discarded and end-of-life fishing nets that would otherwise pollute our oceans.
This improvement was made possible through Trek’s partnership with Bureo and membership in NextWave, a cross-industry consortium of companies working to reduce the staggering amount of plastics plaguing our environment. Trek is a founding member of the consortium, which includes Dell, General Motors, and others.
For the last 22 years, Trek has manufactured hundreds of thousands of Bat Cages in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 30 miles from the company’s headquarters in Waterloo. The cage is simple, light, and durable—and now there’s a lot more to love about it.
Through Trek’s partnership with NextWave, the company was introduced to Bureo, a group dedicated to giving new life to discarded fishing nets. Bureo collects end-of-life fishing nets and recycles them into tiny pellets that can be used for injection-molded plastic products like Bat Cage, sunglasses, skateboards, and more.
“Bat Cage may be a small product, but it’s the little hinge that swings a big door,” said Justin Henkel, Trek’s Director of Product for Saddles and Essentials. “This year alone, it will put 44,000 square feet (3,850 pounds) of discarded fishing nets to good use. That’s making a real difference, and Bat Cage is just the beginning.”
A new chapter
Bat Cage was first introduced in 1997, and it’s one of Bontrager’s longest-running products. It has crossed the finish line of more grand tours, World Cups, and Spring Classics than anything else made by the brand. Now, it offers the same simple, reliable performance and is made from recycled materials.
A global issue
There are over 86 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans right now, and more than 8 million metric tons are added every year.
The net effect
Fishing nets make up an estimated 10% of all plastic in the ocean. What’s even worse is that they are 4x more harmful to the ocean environment than all other forms of plastic pollution.
From nets into nylon
Bat Cages are made from Bureo’s NetPlus nylon pellets. Bureo collects end-of-life fishing nets in Chile and recycles them into raw nylon so they can be made into everything from sunglasses to skateboards.
One product, big impact
In one year, recycled nylon Bat Cages will put good use to approximately 44,000 square feet (3,850 pounds) of discarded fishing nets.
More ways we’re making a difference
Trek is a founding member of NextWave, a cross-industry consortium of partner companies—including Dell and General Motors— that are committed to keeping plastics in our economy and out of our oceans.
