Impact and Sustainability

Our climate goals

Cycling itself may be low-carbon, but the industry built around it isn’t. We’re focused on reducing our emissions at pace.

We’re as committed as ever to helping the world live life by bike. But while the act of cycling itself does not produce carbon, the industry around it, including our business, does.

We have to face up to that reality and see how we can go on making the very best cycling apparel with the minimum impact on our environment. When it comes to climate, that means reducing our total emissions at the pace and scale determined by the latest climate science.

Rapha is the first cycling apparel company to set a verified science-based target for both short- and long-term emissions. We’ve committed to cut scope 1 and 2 emissions (those from our office and clubhouses) by 88%, and scope 3 emissions (those from our supply chain and beyond) by 45% by 2030.

Our ultimate goal is to reach net zero by 2050.

How we’re cutting our emissions

We’re tackling the problem in as many ways as we can. And we’re always looking for the next way to make a difference to our existing model. Here are just a couple of the things we’re proud to be putting in place.

Getting fossil fuels out of our kit

One of the clearest ways that our products affect both the climate and other environmental issues, like biodiversity, is through virgin synthetic materials. Polyester, nylon, and elastane, while common in performance cycling clothes, are made from fossil fuels. This makes their production energy-intensive and carbon-heavy, while also harming habitats, polluting waterways, and releasing microplastics.

In 2025, we set a target to cut virgin synthetics to 20% of total materials used in our products by 2030. This aligns with our product strategy, lowering carbon emissions while reducing our impact on ecosystems. Beyond 2030, we’ll continue exploring ways to fully phase out virgin materials.

Decarbonising our supply chain

In 2024, we introduced Clean by Design, a partnership with the Apparel Impact Institute, where we invest in training and lower-impact production methods for our highest-emitting suppliers.

We launched the programme with one supplier in January 2024, achieving a reduction of 154 tonnes of CO2e within the first year.

In December 2024, we expanded the programme to a second supplier, with results to be shared in our next Impact Report. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to expand Clean by Design across our supply chain. By doing so, we’re helping raise the standard for sustainable cycling clothing while driving progress towards our carbon, biodiversity, and water goals.