Broken chains – the highs and lows of the sustainable cycle industry

Over the last few years, Shelley Lawson and Rob Webbon have been on a journey to build sustainable businesses in their respective parts of the cycling industry. Rob’s journey hit a stumbling block earlier this year when the founding team of Presca Sportswear made the difficult decision to close the business. Whilst Shelley’s company Frog Bikes, that she founded with her husband Jerry, continues to grow.

Many of us dream of shaking up the existing capitalistic consumer model, and positively contributing to the people involved, but is the business model sustainable? In this podcast, we discuss the challenges and lessons learned on the journey to become a sustainable business.

Highlights

• Shelley and Rob share their learnings from running a sustainable business and provide fantastic advice for current and future sustainable business owners.
• Rob shares with us the detrimental effects that the cost-of-living crisis had on Presca Sportswear, and the stark difference to their position this time last year.
• Frog Bikes is celebrating its 10th birthday; Shelley tells us the challenges the business has faced over the years and changes they have made to their business model to navigate the hurdles.
• We consider whether it is easier or more difficult for sustainable organisations to achieve funding and support.
• Shelley and Rob share their views on whether ethical supply chains are more expensive and slower in nature.
• A Product Life Cycle Analysis is a process that measures the environmental impact of a commercial product, accounting for all stages of the product's life cycle. We discuss the accessibility of conducting a product life cycle analysis for smaller organisations and how Rob and Shelley navigated reducing the environmental impacts of their products.
• Shelley explains how positive consumer experience encouraged Frog Bikes to work directly with cycling shops instead of selling online.
• Frog Bikes and Presca Sportswear embedded circular processes into their business models; Presca offered clothing repairs, and Frog Bikes offered warranties and MOTs for second-hand bikes.

Resources

• A Short Guide to Product Life Cycle Analyses
• Frog Bikes
• Ever Given Cargo Ship
• Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI)