A word from Titouan – co-founder of Globe For You: mobility
Urban mobility is at a turning point. With 73% of the world's population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, the challenges of congestion, pollution, and land management are becoming increasingly urgent. Using personal cars, especially for solo travel, is costly in many respects. That's why we're focusing on innovative mobility solutions, with cycling at the forefront, to promote a more sustainable and efficient way of living in cities. Our ultimate goal is to offer a credible alternative to the car, with all the benefits it brings in terms of sustainable mobility and improved quality of life in urban environments, without the constraints.
The goal? Replacing car use with an already developed alternative: the bicycle. But what does the bicycle lack to completely replace car use? A trunk, to be able to carry everything. The goal is to have a trunk, on a bicycle.
Our solution? A bicycle trailer, made in Brittany from flax fiber. A trailer to carry the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries for three people, plus plenty of other equipment, even pets. A trailer, but why flax fiber?
Flax, a plant that fully meets the technical specifications
Among the fibers frequently used and valued for their mechanical properties, carbon fiber is cited first, closely followed by fiberglass. Carbon is a fossil resource whose extraction and processing methods are extremely polluting. Added to this is transportation, as it is mostly imported, and the use of carbon fiber is, in total, 100 times more polluting than flax fiber.
For its part, flax is a plant that grows in France and whose mechanical properties are similar to those of fiberglass.
Flax is a hollow fiber. Its cellulose content (concentration of matter) increases when the plant is cut and dries on the ground. This process is called retting, and it's what makes the plant so strong once processed. The hollow fiber provides two particular properties. First, it makes the fiber thermally insulating. This means that even in very low temperatures, the resin-impregnated fiber will be pleasant to the touch and maintain a stable temperature. To give you an idea, without the hollow fiber, it's like holding a steel pipe in the snow without gloves: it burns. This hollow fiber also provides sound insulation. The trailer easily absorbs shocks and makes no noise when it falls.
Flax, a plant that fully meets environmental specifications
Flax cultivation
A mild oceanic climate, good alternation of rain and sun, no inputs, pesticides or solvents, 5 times less fertilizer than cotton, only rainwater, these are the only resources that flax needs to grow.
The blue-violet flowers of flax appear as early as June in Europe and in the northern half of France (Normandy and Hauts-de-France). Europe alone produces 70 to 80% of the world's flax. France accounts for 80% of the flax-growing area in the European Union, and thus produces 60 to 65% of global production.
Flax blooms once a day. During its flowering period, flax produces delicate blue flowers in the early morning. These same flowers wither by the afternoon, and the next day, new petals appear.
There Flax cultivation requires very little energy. Rainwater is sufficient for the fields to grow, and the plant naturally draws its resources from the soil. Flax has a well-developed root system that allows it to access water deep in the ground.
From one From an agro-ecological perspective, growing flax is extremely beneficial for the soil. It is a plant that grows as an intercrop. Intercropping is an agricultural technique that consists of growing different crops in the same plot of land, either alternately or simultaneously, during a growing season.
Alternate Intercropping interrupts the reproductive cycles of insect pests, thus reducing the need for inputs. Different crops naturally require a variety of nutrients. Diversifying the types of seeds used allows the soil to replenish itself with specific nutrients, thereby preserving its quality. In the specific case of flax, its long, deep roots improve soil structure and ensure good aeration. Intercropping therefore goes so far as to improve soil quality. Flax has early and dense growth, effectively covering the soil. Incorporating flax into intercropping rotations can help suppress weeds and reduce competition for light, water, and nutrients.
A plant used to its fullest potential: 0 waste!
The advantage of flax is that once harvested, the entire plant is processed for various uses.- Manufacturing of high-performance parts:
- Textile industry:
The remaining 30% is used by the textile industry. Flax cultivation requires significantly less water and energy than cotton (which is nevertheless more widely used in textiles). The insulating properties of flax's hollow fibers (as described above) allow for the production of a thermoregulating textile that provides a feeling of coolness in summer and retains heat in winter.
- Cattle feed:
THE The lower part of the plant is called tow. It is used to produce food and/or bedding for animals.
- Human nutrition:
At flowering time, small round capsules that appear as the flowers wither contain the flax seeds. Widely used in human food, flax seeds are consumed raw, ground, or as oil. Flax seeds are rich in essential fatty acids: they contain omega-3, necessary for a balanced diet.
- Energy and heating:
Flax shives, small fragments of flax straw resulting from the scutching process, are actually the outer bark of the flax plant. They can be used as fuel for heating buildings. Flax dust, through its conversion into biogas, can be used as an energy source.