Brembo go green with eco-friendly brake pads: high-end performance without the damage to the planet

Brembo have come through on a promise they made a year ago to produce high performing brake pads that are less harmful to the planet than conventional items.

The approach to the new Greenance range is twofold: reduce the use of non-renewable elements in their construction and, secondly, manufacture them with greener production methods.

Sebastinio Rio, Brembo Chief Operating Officer, told MCN how they had tackled the green issues. He said: “We are adding a reduction in wear, so that is a green aspect as we are reducing consumption.

“Meanwhile we have removed some components such as copper and nickel to maintain those components as green.

“Plus in the manufacturing process we have cut something like 60% energy consumption. It’s a combination of a green product and a green process.”

What’s more, the Brembo team have improved performance of the pads by a claimed 10% and removed the use of asbestos and the element antimony – a brittle solid or powder that can be harmful to the eyes, skin, lungs, heart, and stomach.

During testing the Greenance pads have performed exceptionally with the claimed improvement in stopping power coming from the fact that they exhibit better resistance to heat, as they are designed to maintain the same performance as temperatures rise, eliminating fade.

The lack of brake fade increases feel and overall rider confidence, even at the tail end of a trackday as the brakes’ ability to bite onto the disc remains stable.

Greeance pads also conform to the latest European safety standards and feature something called the NUCAP Retention System, the gripping technology that binds the friction material to the backing plate. It, too, improves heat resistance. The pads will be colour-coded, and, for the first time, have the Brembo logo embossed on them.

Phase two of the green agenda has gone into the production processes which no longer uses methane gas which, Brembo claim, will save the equivalent of 176 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Brembo are looking to further their green credentials in the near future with yet more changes to the manufacturing process as Rio explains: “We are still working to try and make our products more green every time.

“We are now having a look at recyclability, aluminium is recycled. We are working in a different environment with a reduction of waste and the utilisation of water in our factory, and the consumption of energy.

“We are looking at alternative energy. One to use a supplier that is sustainable or even, in our facility using solar panels. So it is different sorts of energy and reduction of energy.”