buycycle was founded based on the need for a safe and secure way for cycling enthusiasts to buy and sell a used bike. But don’t get us wrong, our marketplace contributes much more than just mobility on two wheels.
The current mainstream thinking of “take, make, waste” has resulted in excessive use of finite resources and pollution. By encouraging the purchase of a pre-loved bike over a brand new one, we aim to reduce this impact and make sustainable cycling easier and more accessible for all.
But there is more: promoting cycling as a hobby as well as a legitimate, competitive and healthy mode of transportation also has social and economic benefits. We took a deep dive into these benefits in our article Bikecity 2084, the utopia where everyone cycles in cities, encouraged by proper and safe cycling infrastructure
This is a dream also recognised by policy-makers, ’The Resolution on Integration of Mainstream Bicycling into Public Transportation Systems for Sustainable Development’ was adopted on 15 March 2022 by the UN General Assembly “emphasising that the bicycle is an instrument of sustainable transportation and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate”.
The bicycle is an instrument of sustainable transportation and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate
In 2015, The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out what needs to be achieved in order to shape a world founded on peace, social equity, and protection of natural ecosystems. Cycling contributes to these SDGs in multiple ways and here at buycycle we have already started taking a further look into these topics including, but not limited to:
These are thematically broad, but the bicycle can also be found here: Because cycling contributes to the SDGs in many ways, including this:
SDG 3 Good health and well-being.
Cycling has incredible health benefits. As explored in "Cycling saves" , there are endless examples of improvement in both physical and mental health as a result of pedalling for as little as 2 hours a week. Amongst other benefits, regular cycling can reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke and alleviates symptoms of anxiety and stress.
SDGs 5 & 10 Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities.
Cycling provides a cost-effective transport mode which makes education, healthcare and social services more accessible to vulnerable populations, including women, girls and other minorities. Despite this, the Gender Cycling Gap blog post, shows that women still make up a small proportion of cyclists in cities as a result of multiple factors. By improving accessibility to bikes we can take a small step in the right direction towards narrowing this gap, although much more is still to be achieved.
SDG 11 & 13 Sustainable Cities and Communities & Climate Action.
Cycling is a decarbonised transport mode and plays a key role in reducing emissions in urban areas.
As a young company, we strive to learn and improve every day, and this also applies to our sustainability mission. And so we are a bit more than just a marketplace, providing access to a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle for all of us. Unfortunately, we are aware that our current business operations do have a negative environmental impact due to shipping, energy consumption and packaging materials. Which is why we are trying all the harder to understand both our negative and positive impacts in order to amplify the good and minimize the bad. So we try to do what we do best: Growing, learning and cycling for the better!