‘Turning sound into safety’: Lazer’s new Verde KinetiCore helmet is made from recycled CDs

Lazer has found a new use for old CDs by turning them into a helmet or, as it puts it, turning “sound into safety”.

Once the go-to way to listen to music, CDs (compact discs) have become largely obsolete, but Lazer’s new Verde KinetiCore urban helmet could lead to their unlikely comeback. It is constructed from 70% recycled materials, including recycled CDs for the shell - this figure accounts for a percentage of the overall weight of the helmet.

You could be forgiven for questioning whether a CD would give you enough protection, but Lazer says that it has been able to design the new helmet “without compromising on safety” - this amounts to a four-star safety rating, it says, in rotational impact tests.

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The helmet marks a new approach for the Shimano-owned company which has adopted a circular design based around the principles of “reducing, reusing and recycling materials”. It’s an approach that we spoke to Erik Bronsvoort of Circular Cycling about recently which, in its purest sense, would result in no waste material in the complete lifecycle of a product.

While Lazer hasn’t quite reached zero-waste levels with its new helmet, it has described the Verde KinetiCore as a “step in the right direction”.

“We are making progress towards a reduction of climate change impact in small, regular steps, and a significant objective is reached with Verde KinetiCore,” Lazer said in a press release.

© Lazer

The helmet can be dismantled to recycle the separate components

In a bid to reduce the number of materials and components used, the helmet is also held together without glue, but through Lazer’s EcoLoc technology. All of the separate components on a helmet are usually glued together, but this makes separating and recycling parts difficult. On the Verde KinetiCore, each of the components interlock and are held in place by EcoLoc. At the end of the helmet’s service life, the lock can be removed to separate the components ready for recycling.

The helmet also forgoes any logo stickers or paint, with Lazer’s name debossed into the shell, while the colour is injected into the helmet shell, “eliminating the need for extra paint”.

The Verde KinetiCore is available in five different colours, including white stone, lemongrass, sage green, fork knox and grey onyx.

Learn more about the helmet on Lazer’s website.

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