Where is Cycle of Good based?
We’re based in an old pottery factory in the heart of the UK. Our address is Atlas Works, Paragon Road, Longton, Stoke on Trent, ST3 1NR
Can I come see the products or visit Cycle of Good?
We love to meet our supporters! We do like to know when people are visiting so that we can make sure it’s a good day for it. We’re often loading shipping containers for our projects in Malawi, or unloading lorries. It’s best to give us a call before you visit on 01543 888494.
Where are Cycle of Good products made?
Cycle of Good lives and breathes to end poverty in Malawi, Africa and this is where all of our products are made. All sewn products have been made by our team of well-trained tailors at Cycle of Good Malawi. They are paid at least living wage, have pensions, paid holiday and full employment rights, they also have access to subsidized childcare.
Occasionally we buy products from self-employed local Malawian artisans. Where this is the case, we ensure that the price we pay for each product equates to the living wage. We meet each maker and visit where they work. If needed we help provide good quality tools and PPE, often we’re able to provide small-business development advice too.
What makes Cycle of Good ethical?
We are a trading subsidiary of a UK registered charity called Krizevac Project (number 1115608) governed by our dedicated board of trustees who are accountable to the Charities Commission for England and Wales. All trading profits are used 100% for charitable purposes… we don’t have any fat cats anywhere in our organization!
We have adopted the Ethical Trade Initiative Base Code and our Procurement and Sustainability policies are available by clicking the links at the bottom of the homepage of our website.
In addition to working solely to improve the lives of the poorest of the poor, we are passionate about our planet. We reduce, re-se and recycle in all parts of our processes and operations. We seek to reduce our carbo footprint wherever possible. We regularly involve our whole team in establishing our values and auditing our personal and collective efforts to achieve them.
While we exist to improve prospects in Africa, we seek to build good into all of our operations, we actively seek partnerships with local Staffordshire organisations who work with people who face barriers to full inclusion in life. We work with local adult learning centres to provide work placements for adults with learning difficulties and our bicycle projects have long-standing partnerships with local youth offending institutes so that we can help build skills that will help to prevent re-offending.
What makes Cycle of Good sustainable?
All our items are handmade from reclaimed or recycled materials and all are sewn by machines powered by solar energy.
Our packaging is also plastic free and often reclaimed. Our UK warehouse utilizes LED lights and low energy heating. We have a single use plastic free policy.
It is necessary for us to send shipping containers to Malawi on a regular basis. We send recycled and reclaimed, materials, books, bikes and sewing machines to our projects. We do our best to minimize our sipping by packing as efficiently as possible and only sending items that are 100% necessary to the development of the township. We are actively involved in local tree planting in Malawi and have planted over 10,000 trees to date in order to offset our shipping footprint.
Do you sell vegan products?
To the best of our knowledge our entire range is vegan and we are approved by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In the interest of complete transparency, we cannot completely guarantee that some of our recycled materials do not include inks that may stem from animal origin; for example, we do not have the ability to test the inks used to brand old coffee sacks that are sent to us by coffee roasters.
How does Cycle of Good price their products?
We calculate prices using a bottom up method based strictly on the labour costs of producing each product. We add on the cost of supplementary materials such as thread. We then add direct branding, packaging and postage costs. There is a small allowance for indirect costs such as administration and building costs. There is a margin which allows us to sell to UK independent shops, allowing British business to share in the Cycle of Good. 100% of all surplus generated is then fully utilized for charitable purposes.
Where do you ship/deliver to?
Yes, we ship to any UK address. We also ship internationally with an extra charge at cost, please contact us for a quote.
Do Cycle of Good offer personalisation for products?
Yes! If you’re a re-seller of our products we will happily switch the laser engraved logo which adorns most of our products to your own branding. Please contact us for a quote.
Do Cycle of Good do commission work?
We actively seek partnerships with like-minded organisations and companies who would like to develop their own range of recycled products. If you have an idea for a design, or even if there’s a small component part of your own product that can be swapped out for recycled materials, please message our development team at info@cycleofgood.com
Do Cycle of Good sell corporate gifts?
Definitely. If you’re running a conference, we can provide you with fully recycled document wallets, for that group trip abroad, you’ll find our used inner-tube luggage tags absolutely perfect. We can supply items for sportive goodie bags or a Christmas gift for your whole team. The sky’s the limit, please just ask and we will do our best to supply!
What are Cycle of Good products made from?
All of our products are made from reclaimed materials that were otherwise destined for UK landfill. Typically, we use old bicycle inner tubes, coffee sacks and off-cuts from the manufacture of lorry-curtain-sides.
Is there a risk for people with latex allergies?
Our inner-tube products are typically made from tubes made from Butyl Rubber, but we cannot guarantee that some do not contain latex, as such, we do not recommend our inner-tube products for anyone with a latex allergy.
Are butyl rubber products safe?
Anything made from Butyl rubber contains Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). Many PAH’s are known carcinogens, they are ubiquitous in the environment and they are present in varying levels in any oil based product. Inner tubes go through a curing process during manufacture which seals the surface of the material, we have taken industry advice which reassures us that our products are safe for normal use, but we would recommend keeping them away from the mouth and avoiding prolonged contact with the skin.
How can I recycle my old inner tubes?
We are no longer accepting any inner tubes. If you are a retailer you can contact Schwalbe at recycling@schwalbe.co.uk to join their recycling programme. If you only have a few tubes to recycle please drop them into your local Decathlon and pop them into their recycling bin.
What other materials do you collect for recycling?
We seek regular supplies of any material that would otherwise have gone to landfill that can be usefully repurposed, this can include, but is not limited to: tents, parachute silk or lining material, any cotton, wool or silk fabrics, threads, zips, elastic, fastenings etc. You may have ideas too and we would love to hear them!
Do you ever work with affiliates?
We actively seek to share the cycle of good with non-profit affiliates who share our vision for a firer world. If you have a website that raises funds or awareness for your own cause and if you would like to raise funds via affiliate sales, we would welcome you as an affiliate seller. Please see our affiliate section for more information.
What is your Returns Policy?
Our returns policy lasts 14 days from purchase. If more than 14 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it.
We will refund you via the same payment mechanism used for the purchase unless alternative arrangements are made by you contacting us prior to the refund being made.
Please see our terms and conditions for a full description of our returns policy.
Products that have been personalised cannot be returned or exchanged unless they have a fault.
Gift Vouchers are not available for return or refund.
To complete your return, we require your order number, receipt, or proof of purchase. You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs and customs charges for returning your item. Shipping costs and customs charges are non-refundable. If you are shipping an item over £50, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We can’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item. Any item(s) that do not come to our workshop can’t be refunded or exchanged.
Please see our terms and conditions for a full description of our returns policy.
Do Cycle of Good offer a guarantee / warranty?
Yes. All of our sewn products come with a life time warranty. (Please see separate warranty arrangements for Elephant Bikes) All you need to do is to let us know if you have any trouble with any product. If it is within 30 days, we will refund, repair or replace your product- whichever suits you best. If it’s older than 30 days, the refund doesn’t apply, but we will still repair any product that is returned to us, no matter how old so that it does not end up going into landfill. If your product has completely come to the end of it’s natural life (nothing lasts forever!) you can return it to us so we can salvage any reusable parts and recycle the rest as best we can.
Please see our terms and conditions for a full description of our returns policy.
Shipping
We send all items using reputable carriers, for small items this is generally Royal Mail second class post. Larger items will be sent via Parcel Force or UPS. We are unable to guarantee delivery days on retail sales.
If you need an item to be shipped internationally you will not be able to order via the website, but we can fulfil your order if you contact us via email (info@cycleofgood.com). Extra carriage charges at cost apply.
What is your privacy policy?
We take your privacy very seriously, please view our full privacy policy here.