New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

Email user
bambubicycles@gmail.com

Basic information
Project title
bam•bu bicycles

Full Project Title
{Empty}

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
bam•bu bicycles is a bamboo bicycle brand on a mission to inspire epic trips and unique experiences, promoting well-being and sustainable mobility in Portugal.

What was the geographical scope of your project?
Cross-border/international

Where was your project implemented?
Location 1
Portugal

Location 2
Spain

Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries
{Empty}

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Aveiro
Anadia
Porto
Serra da Estrela
Barcelona

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2022-06-30

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): Saavedra & Saavedra Lda
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Joana
  Last name of representative: Saavedra
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Portugal
  Function: Co-Founder
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rua das Tilias 22
  Town: Curia
  Postal code: 3780-541
  Country: Portugal
  Direct Tel: +351 916 558 393
  E-mail: joanasaavedra@gmail.com
  Website: https://www.bambu-bicycles.com/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/bambubicycles/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Instagram
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bambubicycles/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Linkedin
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Press

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
We are a bamboo bicycle brand on a mission to inspire epic trips and unique experiences, promoting well- being and sustainable mobility in Portugal. We love the idea of using bamboo to promote sustainable mobility and inspire people to live a green, low-carbon and clean-energy life. We believe in social responsibility and environmental stewardship.
We believe in maximizing the positive impact of renewable resources. We believe in a world where everyone moves sustainably in our planet.
While living in China, we got dazzled with bamboo, its astonishing benefits and all the possibilities to build anything with this beautiful and sustainable material.
When we first discovered bamboo bicycles, we became amazed by their unique appearance, beautiful design, light weight and comfort to ride. Instantly, we fell in love with the idea of crafting our own bamboo bikes and being the first bike builders of these wonderful bikes in our home country – Portugal.
Bamboo has been gaining immense importance when it comes to sustainable products. We want to live in harmony with nature. It’s an instinctive thing. And when we see the frame of a bamboo bike, we immediately understand that we’re combining technology and nature.
We want to work closely with tourism believing that our nature based product will:
Diversify and complement experience offers with uniqueness;
Promote Sustainable products and brands;
Empower Slow Living and extend the length of stay in visited places;
Promote cycling tourism as a niche tourist market with significant growth potential;
Diversify the tourist product of a destination and, consequently, increase its economic development;

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
Bamboo

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Sustainable Mobility

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Ciclotourism

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Nature based products

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Innovation

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Our bamboo bicycles will help to diversify and complement experience offers with uniqueness and a made in Portugal product. That will promote cycling tourism as a niche tourist market with significant growth potential and diversify the touristic product of a destination and, consequently, increase its economic development;
Because Sustainable design brings together craft, design and technology;
Promotion of Sustainable products and brands;
Against the bicycles brands nowadays that are produced with processed materials.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Craft with heart & soul;
By bridging technology with nature, we craft every bamboo bike with an artisan’s passion, detailed attention and care. Everything made to last with handpicked materials and our own hands.
Creativity:
Create uniqueness & originality
Nature only makes originals. As every person is unique, we bring original & custom products
Commitment:
Provide sustainable, positive & epic experiences.
In every ride in town or travel the world, we want to make people feel epic emotions, positive moments and sustainable rides.
Community:
Connect people in love with bamboo and bicycles. Combining our two passions, we want to gather a community surrounding a healthy lifestyle.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Recover production capacity and innovation - With this initiative we intend to recover industries linked to this product and area, such as other manufacturers of bicycle components, which with external competition (eg china), abandoned their activities, or stopped investing in the development and competitiveness in the area. recover the development capacity of bicycles at national and European level.

Quality - This activity, although present, is closely linked to imports, comprising the vast majority of companies that participate only in the final stage to "indicate" a European production. In our view unfair, and sometimes affecting the quality of the product.

New materials and opportunities - We also want to boost the adoption of new materials in the industry, such as bamboo, for the manufacture of frames and other bicycle elements, as well as, in this way, encourage the development of ecosystems that produce, process and use this natural resource, and in this way to boost the agricultural fabric and local and national resarial. The idea is to create a more independent, responsible and sustainable ecosystem, and in this way create quality products and opportunities.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
By bridging technology with nature, we craft our bamboo bikes with an artisan’s passion, detailed attention and care in a 40-hours handmade process to bring you the best bicycles nature can give. Our bamboo bikes are the perfect match for people who appreciate the iconic inspiration that nature provides, as well as unique design, performance and sustainable mobility.
Bamboo brings the strength, lightness, stiffness and dampens vibrations needed for a comfortable, responsive and unsurpassed quality ride. As bamboo stalks have distinct patterns and colors, every bamboo bike frame and city bike model is unique.
Handmade through a detailed and careful process, you can buy your bike frame and equip it with your preferred parts and accessories or get one of our city bike models.
To provide a more personal feeling, we can customize it with laser engraved quotes, names or logos

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
Like any project or initiative, it is not possible to do it alone. And we have contact with a local business fabric to create partnerships for its implementation. We streamline and create opportunities for businesses with little innovation to create new opportunities with us, we establish agricultural partnerships for the cultivation and processing of this new material, we create and establish a network to streamline our alternative visions. , to be able to have opportunities again.
We have been collaborating with Municipalities, Hotels, Tourism in different levels, inspiring people to cycle more and to choose the option of slow tourism, but also to bring awareness regarding the bamboo and it´s potential.
Also together with a Spanish traveler we have built a gravel bamboo bicycles where he did 7000kms from Spain to Norway to bring that cycle tourism awareness and also the bamboo as a strong material.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
Because it is an engineering product, built with sustainable materials, to be used and to promote good health practices, we managed to reach a wide spectrum of classes/areas. From the partners who supply the raw material, who make the region more dynamic and who explore the land and rehabilitate it in this way, the need to process these resources and create job opportunities, as well as all the more technical development involved and all the partners and partner industries who help and support us to achieve our goals and needs, as local manufacturing companies, such as schools or universities, for collaboration and education, whether the end audience, individual customers or green tourism businesses, who help us to raise awareness and educate the society with new opportunities and solutions.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
In the documents attached we show some of the results we had up to now:
- know-how transferred from what we have learned in China to Portugal
- design and manufactured the first 2 models
- manufactured more than 20 frames
- sold our first bamboo bicycles to Hotels and Municipalities
- Collaboration with Tourism of Portugal
- Partnership with national bicycle manufactures from our bike components
- presence in several events regarding mobility, sustainability and tourism to promote and bring awareness
- school presentations and talks explaining the reason behind the project and inspiring hundreds of students to be curious regarding natural materials and specially bamboo
- social media and press presence to bring awareness of bamboo as a sustainable material

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
Both
PDF
- pdf-1-22783.pdf
- pdf-1-22783_0.pdf
Web link
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMXvRrp1Ojk
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmFPT1c6jD0
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
Bamboo has been gaining immense importance when it comes to sustainable products. We want to live in harmony with nature. It’s an instinctive thing. And when we see the frame of a bamboo bike, we immediately understand that we’re combining technology and nature.

Fast growing, sustainable and renewable resource.
Bamboo is naturally renewable and the fastest-growing plant in the world (some species can grow 35 inches in 24 hours). And bamboo keeps growing after it is harvested – no replanting required.
Air purifier & Cleaner
Bamboo allows us to enjoy healthier and cleaner air since this plant produces up to 35% more oxygen than other trees in the atmosphere and absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2).
Lightweight and strong
Bamboo is very light but offers a tensile strength superior to many steel alloys and a compressive strength comparable to a concrete block. This material is not as fragile as carbon fiber and is lighter than aluminium. And the secret lies in the structure and quality of its fibers.
Natural Impact Absorption
Bamboo can absorb vibrations and shocks like bumps in the road, making it comfortable to ride over long distances. Don’t worry, as bamboo endure daily usages or falls due to its resistance and shock absorption.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
From the beginning we believed in storytelling and awareness in a way of bringing all the research that has been done with bamboo by numerous universities and researchers but that sometimes is not communicated in the right way to the community. We wanted to connect all the knowledge and with a product that is close to people´s hearts, the bicycles. So that we can stop all the myths regarding bamboo but also push for more innovation and inspire students to go for it and be curious.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
One of our main goals is to create a bamboo innovation hub in Portugal so that more people research and innovate and look for other applications that this amazing, beautiful material can have. We know that only with collaboration we can do that, so we want to connect everyone involved and bring experts that can have access to technology, connect with corporate, universities, students. In the end the impact can be huge, not only in tourism, cycle tourism that is now our focus but many other areas.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
SUSTAINABILITY IS THE OUTCOME OF HOW WE CHOOSE TO LIVE OUR LIVES.

We strongly believe in the potential of bamboo to fight against climate change, as part of a circular economy, to achieve SDGs. Consumers started to research more about brands and sustainability.The bicycle industry is looking for new sustainable materials and how can we develop and manufacture within a local and regional range, with new technologies.
With nowadays technology we can explore natural fibers so that it can be reliable and durable.
INVEST IN SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION AND BRING BAMBU BICYCLES AS A REAL SUSTAINABLE OPTION FOR CITY-MOBILITY AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
{Empty}

By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the project and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary.
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their projects, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted project, is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes