Bratislava, November 24 – The non-profit organisation Repairably has awarded a new certificate of repairability. It has been issued to the SHARVAN folding and growing bicycle. Thanks to the certificate, the manufacturer has the right to label the bike as repairable. This makes it one of the proven eco-friendly products for socially responsible consumers.
A challenging process with real results
The non-profit organisation Repairably has been certifying products since 2016. This year, in collaboration with the ZSE Foundation, it announced a competition for free certification for manufacturers. The certificate for the SHARVAN bicycle is the only one that has been successfully completed. “The certification process is not easy, it follows strict rules that require in-depth collaboration with the manufacturers and their complete understanding of the issues. It is not just an empty “eco” paper, but a real message to the end customers that the product is really repairable and meets all our strict criteria,” says Daniela Laluhová, director of the organisation.
The repairability certificate was received by Dušan Manduľák from the director of Repairably Daniela Laluhová on Wednesday, 23 November 2022. “We started designing the SHARVAN bike intuitively, with our hearts, according to our own needs. At that time, we had no idea that Repairably and repairability certification existed. We only found out that we had designed a product with such potential after participating in the National Design Awards, where we were approached by the organization. But we are all the more pleased about it.”
Strict criteria
Certification rules state that no component can cost more than 20 percent of the price of the product and the total price of all components cannot exceed 120 percent of the product price. The manufacturer must ensure the availability of the components, as well as the tools, software and manuals needed for repair. Complete disassembly and reassembly of the product has to be possible. The manufacturer is also committed to give clients access to parts of the product that are no longer manufactured and to provide open source information to replicate them. You can read more about the certification rules on the Repairably website.
SHARVAN bicycle, which is a fresh holder of the repairability certificate, is a unique urban means of transport designed by Dušan Manduľák and made by Project M1 s.r.o & LPH Group. “This is a special city bike, which is not only foldable but also size-adjustable. Thanks to this feature, the bicycle can be used by several users or be adjusted as child grows or to the new owner,” says Daniela Laluhová. She adds that the model also meets the other requirements of the certification.
Less bikes = less waste
The SHARVAN bike successfully passed the testing and received the “y” in circle label. This label by Repairably guarantees that the product can be repaired by its owners at any time, and that the components and tools needed for repair will be available. Using the unique 6-digit alphanumeric code next to the repairability symbol, bike owners can find repair manuals or links to buy spare parts directly on the Repairably website. And why is product certification important? “The fewer products we produce, the less waste is generated. So, first and foremost, it’s about the ecological and social impact. Manufacturers and retailers, on the other hand, may be interested in the fact that these are requirements of the customers themselves, who are increasingly demanding sustainability,” explains Daniela Laluhová.
For more information on certification of repairability, please contact:
Daniela Laluhová, 0907 721 628, daniela.laluhova@repairably.com