Specialized launches green initiative

Specialized has now joined the growing green movement with an Eco-Index initiative that will evaluate their products during design and production, and joining a carbon-fiber recycling program.

To spearhead this effort, Specialized has hired Bryant Bainbridge as the company’s full-time sustainability strategist. Bainbridge, a Specialized R & D employee in the ‘80s, returns to the company from Nike, where he directed the team that created sustainability metrics for the brand; and co-authored Nike’s Considered Index—widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive systems for predicting the environmental footprint of products during the design phase.

Coinciding with their sustainability initiative, Specialized has become the first major cycling industry member to join the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Eco-Index: A comprehensive system for evaluating and improving the environmental footprint of products during the design stage.