Yamaha Goes Green, Uses Recycled Steel for Motorcycle Packaging

All over the world, companies are working hard to embrace the green shift. And it’s clear that the environmental impact of the things we use goes well beyond just the products themselves. This is especially true in the motorcycle industry, where motorcycles are shipped all over the world.

Unsurprisingly, this requires tons of resources and raw materials. And so Yamaha is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint in this area. How? Well, it’s now using low-carbon recycled steel as a raw material for the packaging frames used to ship its bikes.

You know, those fancy boxes our bikes come in whenever we buy them or the dealers take delivery of them? Turns out you can get creative with those things to help reduce your carbon footprint, too.

Even better still, the low-carbon recycled steel sheets Yamaha is using for its packaging frames were produced in electric furnaces, as opposed to natural gas-powered furnaces as is industry standard. Yamaha says that this is the first time in Japan that steel sheets from electric furnaces are being used in packaging frames for motorcycles, so kudos to Yamaha for starting this trend.

The way the steel is procured is pretty interesting, especially if you’re a nerd like me who loves learning how stuff’s made. For starters, scrap steel is obtained from demolished buildings, scrapped cars, discarded home appliances and the like. It’s then melted and rolled into uniform sheets. These are then cut, welded, and bolted together to form the frames we’re familiar with.

In the case of Yamaha, it’s working with Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd. for its packaging frames, and intends to expand the use of recycled steel across its supply chain in the future.

All this is part of Yamaha’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Apart from investing heavily in electric mobility and alternative fuels, Yamaha is also working hard to revamp the way it runs its business—from hydrogen-powered melting furnaces for alloy components, and now, recycled steel for its packaging frames.