Problem addressed

Every year large numbers of bicycles become waste while many urban residents lack affordable, reliable transport and access to job-training opportunities. Local authorities and waste centres need scalable solutions to divert bike waste from disposal, and socially vulnerable people need practical routes to employment. SoliCycle addresses both environmental (waste, loss of reusable material) and social (unemployment, skills gap, mobility access) problems.

Innovative solution

SoliCycle’s innovation is an integrated, localised “repair-and-insertion” workshop model that: (1) sources large volumes of discarded bikes from déchetteries and community collections; (2) combines professional refurbishment and parts recovery with low-cost sales (often €50–€150) and community self-repair workshops; and (3) embeds a social insertion pathway by hiring trainees on supported contracts to carry out the technical refurbishment and gain job skills — creating a circular, social enterprise loop. SoliCycle was the first project of this sort in 2007, when the first workshop was opened. 

Key results and benefits

Proven diversion and reuse: in 2024 SoliCycle recovered 2,500 bicycles and sold 1,258 refurbished bikes along with 2,862 second-hand parts—preventing large volumes of bike waste and extending product lifecycles.


Social impact: the workshops operate as insertion projects (e.g., ~12 people on insertion contracts in one site), providing practical training and employment pathways. 


Immediate social & skills impact (current staff survey):

• 97% of surveyed employees feel useful in their work.
• 100% say they do useful work.
• 62% say they learned to work in a team.
• 49% say they learned to be more professional.
• 21% found a solution to their housing situation.
• 19% received health advice.
• 34% say they are now better at administrative procedures.
   

Longer-term outcomes for former insertion employees (follow-up / survey):

• 25% of former insertion employees say the professional skills developed at SoliCycle were useful afterwards.
• 70–90% report that the relational / interpersonal skills gained at SoliCycle were useful later in their lives.
• 54% say SoliCycle had a positive impact on their life.

Employment status (cohort follow-up by time since SoliCycle):

• 6 months after: 20% in durable employment; 40% in training; 40% unemployed.
• 6–12 months after: 22% in durable employment; 22% in training; 44% unemployed.
• 12–24 months after: 53% in durable employment; 40% in training.
• >24 months after: 71% in durable employment; 23% in training.
   

Affordable mobility: refurbished bikes are sold at low prices to improve transport access for low-income 

Environmental gains: reduced landfill and material waste, prolonging product life and reducing demand for new bicycle manufacturing. 

Potential for mainstreaming

Replicable model: SoliCycle’s workshop + insertion blueprint is transferable to other urban and peri-urban contexts and can be implemented by municipalities, social enterprises or NGOs. A national scaling project - led by Études et Chantiers Île-de-France and running -  is already in progress to roll the model out across France.

SoliCycle currently runs multiple community repair & insertion workshops across Île-de-France. The first workshop was open in Les Ulis in 2007. Since then, SoliCycle reached other territories, including Bezons, Clichy-la-Garenne, Les Ulis, Paris (14ᵉ and 18ᵉ), Saint-Denis, and Garges — where the model has been adapted to local needs. The network is coordinated by Études & Chantiers Île-de-France and a national scaling (“essaimage”) project to roll out the SoliCycle blueprint across France is underway.