BOULDER, CO (May 10, 2023) — In a first-of-its-kind program for any transportation industry, PeopleForBikes, the U.S. bicycle industry's trade association and a leading national advocacy organization, partnered with battery recycling experts Call2Recycle and San Francisco-based creative consultancy InGoodTaste to launch a fun and impactful creative campaign promoting electric bicycle battery recycling across the United States.
Through PeopleForBikes' website, the "Hungry for Batteries" campaign features animated characters Watts and Rey helping bike riders better understand when, where, and how to recycle their e-bike's battery. The campaign will debut on May 10, 2023, across the digital channels of PeopleForBikes, Call2Recycle, the 52 e-bike brands supporting the program, and at bicycle dealers across the country.
The campaign comes as Americans embrace electric bicycles in record numbers: 24% more e-bikes were sold in 2022 than in 2021, and experts estimate that more than 12 million electric bicycles will be sold in the U.S. between 2020 and 2030.
Hungry for Batteries is centered around a mischievous duo that scour the country looking for e-bike batteries to consume and eliminate from our waste streams. The campaign follows the pair and their insatiable appetite spreading the word of e-bike battery recycling. Their call to action for consumers is to recycle their electric bicycle batteries at one of 1,800 retail drop-off locations nationwide.
"With millions of e-bikes on our streets and trails, there has never been a time of greater need to educate riders and give them an easy pathway to properly care for and recycle their e-bike batteries," said PeopleForBikes President and CEO Jenn Dice. "We partnered with InGoodTaste to create fun and playful characters who deliver the message of how easy it is to recycle your e-bike battery."
"Our creative consultancy is founded on the idea that change is good," said Ryan Lindholm, CEO of InGoodTaste. "Electrification of transportation is one of the biggest, most positive changes that we will see in our lifetime, and when we had the chance to help PeopleForBikes usher in that change, our team jumped at the chance. It's a serious story we chose to tell lightly, but helping eliminate a hurdle in the adoption of better transportation solutions is transformational to our shared better future."
Behind the Hungry For Batteries campaign, PeopleForBikes collaborated with Call2Recycle and more than 40 PeopleForBikes member companies to develop an industry-leading electric bicycle battery recycling program. Call2Recycle, a leading not-for-profit battery logistics and recycling organization, has collected and recycled more than 140 million pounds of batteries in the United States in the last 25 years.
"The growing adoption of e-bikes plays a significant role in the transition towards more sustainable forms of transportation yet also requires a greater awareness on the importance of battery recycling," said Leo Raudys, CEO of Call2Recycle. "We're proud to operate at the forefront of battery recycling and work alongside PeopleForBikes and InGoodTaste to creatively engage riders on the safe and reliable recycling of e-bike batteries."
With a network of more than 1,800 retail drop-off locations across the U.S., in-person electric bicycle battery recycling is now easier than ever. The program only accepts batteries from brands participating in the electric bicycle battery recycling program and a list of all participating brands can be found below. If your battery is from a brand not participating in the program, please reach out to the manufacturer and encourage them to join the industry wide campaign.
If you represent an electric bicycle manufacturer interested in joining the program, please reach out to PeopleForBikes Electric Bicycle Policy and Campaign Director Ash Lovell, Ph.D., at ash@peopleforbikes.org.
Participating Brands
BCycle LLC
Benno
Bosch
Breezer
Brompton Bicycles
BULLS Bikes USA
Bunch Bikes
Cannondale
Co-Op Cycles
CUBE
Devinci
Diamondback
Electra
Evil Bikes
EVO
Fazua
Flyer by Radio Flyer
Fuji
Gazelle
Giant Bicycles
iZip
Karbon Kinetics Ltd.
Kona – The Bicycle Group
Liv Cycling
Madsen Cycles
Marin
Momentum
myStromer USA Corp.
Norco Bicycles
Pivot Cycles
Praxis
Priority Bicycles
Promovec America Inc.
Pure Cycles
PWR
Redline
Riese & Müeller
Rocky Mountain Bicycles
Santa Cruz Bicycles
Shimano North America Bicycle
Specialized Bicycle Components
Sun Bicycles
Sun Seeker
Surly
Tandem EZ
Tern Bicycles
Trek Bicycle Corporation
Tuesday
Urban Arrow
Vvolt e–Mobility LLC
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yeti Cycles
PeopleForBikes is making biking better for everyone by uniting millions of Americans, thousands of businesses, and hundreds of communities to make every bike ride safer, more accessible, and more fun. The PeopleForBikes Coalition has more than 325 supplier members and 1.4 million supporters in its grassroots network. When people ride bikes, great things happen. Join us at PeopleForBikes.org.
About Call2Recycle
Operating with a commitment to safety and environmental excellence, Call2Recycle is the country's premier battery collection, logistics, and recycling program. Founded in 1994, the not-for-profit organization has safely and responsibly collected and recycled 140 million pounds of batteries across the U.S. Visit us at call2recycle.org.
About InGoodTaste
InGoodTaste is a creative consultancy focused on driving positive change in the world through Grey Space ThinkingTM. We collaborate with our partners to solve their most essential challenges by dreaming up innovative solutions in the Grey Space. We solve problems for our partners, ranging from business strategy, consumer research, brand positioning, creative potential, social impact, and strategic communication. We are always seeking creators of change. If you’re a creative, a storyteller, a project manager, a strategist, an experimenter, or a dreamer, send us your folio, resume, or website at career@igtstudo.com.
