Don’t be square. Be circular.

Swapfiets has grand ambitions. Not just to provide our members with an environmentally friendly way to navigate the world, crush our collective carbon footprint, put fewer cars on the road or keep our bodies moving. But to encourage the world to adopt a new way of thinking and using - through circularity.

First, a quick refresher. For us, circularity is about designing and using things that last. For instance, we deliberately design our products to be easily repaired, eventually starting a new life with someone else in the Swapfiets community - reducing unnecessary waste and improving the lifecycle of our entire portfolio. It’s also about using sustainable materials and production methods to reduce our carbon footprint and ease our strain on our planet.

What started out as a way to create a more convenient way of cycling in the city has grown into a bicycle-as-a-service movement which stimulates this use and re-use model. Now, why are we talking your ear off about wanting to do so? You might've clocked our newest campaign that explains just that. But to reiterate - we believe this planet has enough stuff. We don’t want to be just another brand fueling unnecessary waste. It’s why you can’t buy our bikes. And why we’re so interested in encouraging members not to just join our brand - but the movement to an entirely new way of living and using.

One way we stimulate circularity is through our membership model, which gives you full access to top of the line, custom designed & built bikes as if they were your own. Because we design and produce our bikes ourselves, we ensure only the highest quality parts are used, from chain to saddle. This means we’re on top of every process in production - ensuring our process is *actually* circular, and not just labelled so.

The best part? We also take care of all the classic hassles of bike ownership, with a free and on-demand repair service which helps us stretch the lifecycle of our products. Our focus on circularity means you can rely on us for truly high quality bikes, because it’s in our interest to keep you moving. Literally. If your bike broke down all the time, we’d be wasting our own time and resources getting you back up and running! It’s why we deliberately build our bikes to last, using as many sustainable materials as possible.

We’ve only just started exploring all the weird and wonderful ways to own less and use more. Excitingly, there are waves of innovation in this field already. But of course, we need bigger and better waves to really make a difference. This doesn’t happen overnight, and at Swapfiets we certainly aren’t there yet, either. Transitioning to a circular economy requires a completely different mindset and the chutzpah to question the status quo. Take a look at inspiring and disruptive pioneers such as Signify, who are shaking up the lighting industry. Or, trailblazers in the field of technology, like Fairphone, who’ve designed a modular phone using honest labor and recycled materials. In the end, our ambition is to be more than a company with a line of top notch products. We want to be the rally-cry to entourage the world to live and use more consciously. By asking our members to embrace a new mentality - one that champions buying less and enjoying more. So, what are you waiting for? Join us.