Riese & Müller’s report released in March 2026 says roughly half the frames purchased in the 2024/25 financial year contained recycled aluminium. This describes the number of frames using the material, rather than claiming that half of every frame was recycled.
The proportions vary by model. Company publications put recycled aluminium at 81% of the Carrie cargo bike’s frame, while the earlier Culture example was 46% by frame weight. Frame figures cannot automatically describe the whole bicycle, including its battery, tyres and other components.
The metal’s appearance alone does not reveal its origins. Aluminium producer Hydro distinguishes manufacturing scrap from material recovered from products at the end of their life. Recycled content and carbon footprint are separate measures; traceability and documented data help readers assess them.
Another measure in the report is the reusable BikeBox: the company estimates it saved more than 35 tonnes of cardboard during the financial year. When reading such figures, check the period, the component or process being measured, and the boundaries of the comparison.