From Ocean Waste to Safety Innovation: Strategic’s Use of rPET in Helmet Construction
At Strategic Sports, sustainability isn’t a feature—it’s a foundational principle. From material selection to supply chain design, we’re committed to leading the helmet industry toward a cleaner, more responsible future. A core part of this mission is our increasing use of rPET—recycled polyethylene terephthalate—reclaimed from discarded plastic bottles, many of which are reclaimed from the ocean.
From Pollution to Protection
rPET is created by collecting, cleaning, and melting post-consumer plastic bottles to produce new PET yarns and fabrics. At Strategic, we use this regenerated material in key touchpoints of our helmets—specifically in the pads and straps that come into daily contact with riders. The result? A lighter environmental footprint, without sacrificing comfort, durability, or performance. As a rider, you won’t notice any difference from rPET helmet pads and straps and those made of virgin PET material…but the Earth will.
This innovation plays a vital role in our award-winning lineup of recyclable and recycled-content helmets, including the Red Dot Award–recognized S-460 RMR urban helmet. In these products, rPET isn’t just a substitute—it’s part of a holistic material strategy that brings together post-industrial and post-consumer waste to deliver protective gear that looks ahead to a better future.
A Measurable Impact in More Ways than One
Plastics are responsible for 3.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with 90% of those emissions coming from the production stage—not disposal. By repurposing post-consumer PET instead of creating virgin plastic, we significantly reduce the emissions burden created during raw material production.
Every time we substitute virgin materials with rPET, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut down on landfill use, and divert plastic from waterways. This shift represents a CO₂ savings of 51.09g per helmet—an impact that adds up as we scale production and bring sustainable solutions to more global markets, and part of our overall 2021-2023 Co2 reduction of 783,819.73 kg with BioDome materials.
Part of a Bigger Plan
Our adoption of rPET is just one part of a wider roadmap. Strategic is proud to be aligning our environmental targets with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the leading global standard for corporate emissions reduction that helps companies along an accountable path of carbon neutrality. This includes carbon benchmarking, green energy transitions at our global facilities, and a push toward circular design principles across all new product platforms. We’re also ISO14001 certified, which is the gold standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS), providing a structured framework for organizations to manage their environmental impact. This certification ensures that companies identify, evaluate, and mitigate environmental risks while striving for continual improvement.
Our goal is clear: to be the global leader in sustainable helmet manufacturing. That means not only innovating with recyclable and low-impact materials, but also investing in smarter supply chains, lower-emission logistics, and responsible manufacturing.
rPET is one thread in this larger fabric. And while it may start with a bottle tossed aside, at Strategic Sports it ends with a helmet built to protect—both you and the planet.