Key partnership facts
Key partnership facts
Overview
In collaboration with the NHS, HM Prison Services, public sector bodies, and charities, the project diverts surplus items such as bicycles, digital equipment, and furniture from landfill. Through its Donate-Renovate-Locate model, these items are refurbished and redistributed to NHS staff, vulnerable communities, and schools. To date, Recirculate has upcycled over 670 bikes and more than 740 workplace items, achieving measurable social, environmental, and operational value while fostering rehabilitation, skills attainment, and community resilience.
Challenge
The Recirculate Project was conceived in response to multiple urgent challenges:
- COVID-19 Recovery: NHS workers faced heightened pressures with limited transport options and wellbeing resources.
- Environmental Waste: Significant volumes of surplus corporate assets (bicycles, furniture, IT equipment) were destined for landfill, contributing to unnecessary waste and carbon emissions.
- Community Needs: Underserved groups, such as minority NHS staff and local school children, had limited access to affordable mobility solutions and essential equipment.
These combined challenges called for a scalable solution that could deliver practical benefit across health, environmental, and social domains.
Solution
Recirculate implemented an innovative, collaborative model:
- Donate-Renovate-Locate Process
- Donate: Surplus bikes and equipment are donated by Equans, Vercity & InfraRed staff, partners, public sector clients and the communities where we operate.
- Renovate: Items are refurbished in prison workshops by inmates participating in accredited training, fostering employability and skills development.
- Locate: Refurbished items are distributed to frontline NHS workers, children, and underserved communities, selected in partnership with site champions and stakeholders.
Operational Excellence
The Recirculate project demonstrates operational excellence through strong coordination led by a dedicated project manager who collaborates with Equans FM teams, Vercity SPV Managers, InfraRed Asset Manager, NHS site champions, and prison workshop coordinators to efficiently manage collection, refurbishment, and distribution. Clear governance ensures accountability, while quality assurance by external mechanics guarantees bike safety. Challenges like prison workshop variability and storage constraints are addressed with flexible scheduling and strategic partnerships, enabling consistent delivery and scalable impact across stakeholders.
Digital Platform & Communication
Recirculate is developing a digital platform to streamline asset tracking and simplify donation, refurbishment, and allocation, connecting donors, renovators, and recipients like schools, NHS sites, and charities. Alongside improved communication to raise awareness and participation, these efforts aim to embed circularity and inclusion into facilities management and promote circular business practices as standard.
Adaptability
The success of the initiative stems from its adaptability to operational challenges. During COVID-19, it partnered with local bike repair SMEs to continue refurbishments when prison workshops closed. Flexible giveaway scheduling and diverse refurbishment partnerships helped manage workshop unpredictability. Storage issues were solved by increasing distribution frequency and working with logistics partners, ensuring smooth flow of donated goods. This agile approach, combined with ongoing learning and stakeholder feedback, has supported steady, sustainable growth while upholding strong social and environmental impact. This unique approach embedded circularity, inclusivity, and rehabilitation within day-to-day facilities management.
Impact
The Recirculate Project delivers a powerful synergy of social uplift, environmental sustainability, and operational excellence by transforming surplus assets into valuable resources that enhance community wellbeing, reduce carbon emissions, and drive inclusive skills development.
- Over 38 tonnes of CO₂e saved.
- More than 20 tonnes of materials diverted from landfill.
- Behavioural change: 135% increase in miles cycled by NHS staff, substantial reduction in private car and bus usage.
- 670+ bikes and 740+ items upcycled and redistributed.
- Priority beneficiaries: NHS workers in lower pay bands (often minority groups), vulnerable children, and ethnic minority women engaging with cycling. Children Heard + Seen shared: “One bicycle went to a child whose father had sold hers for drugs. Three others went to siblings whose mother couldn’t afford bikes for Christmas"
- Skills attainment: 29 industry accreditations for prisoners; +3,000 training hours delivered. HMP Aylesbury inmate said: “Learning bike mechanics gives me the confidence to become self-employed. It’s productive and for a good cause."
- Circa 50% of beneficiaries report positive physical and mental health benefits with 63% cycling 3 or more times a week. Georgina, A&E nurse, said: “It was so upsetting to have my bike stolen after a night shift. I was devastated. I’m happy I will be able to cycle to work again – it’s my only bit of peace and quiet."
- Avoided disposal fees between £4,550 and £7,178, reduced logistics costs by circa £14,250, and optimised resource procurement.
- Enhanced stakeholder satisfaction and alignment with corporate ESG including NHS’ green travel plan and public sector social value mandates.
- Pilot expansions at additional NHS sites and prison workshops and extended asset categories (IT, furniture).
- Ongoing piloting and feedback inform wider adoption, aiming to make Recirculate a standard operating model for asset reuse and community impact.
Recirculate demonstrates how, through strong partnerships, the successful integration of sustainability, social inclusion and business innovation, and by leveraging the capabilities of facilities management teams, strategic social impact can be achieved to build a replicable blueprint for circularity in the built environment.
Testimonials
“Recirculate bike renovation project gave our prisoners real time work experience after completing their City & Guilds qualification in cycle mechanic. They have the opportunity to work on the bikes on a daily basis and in doing so they are able to gain full mechanical knowledge in cycle repair.
The experience that they obtain from working on the bikes prepares them to explore cycle mechanic jobs when they are released from custody.”
– NEIL HAWES, INDUSTRIES MANAGER, HMP AYLESBURY
"Our partnership with InfraRed Capital Partners and Vercity as founding collaborators of the Recirculate initiative has been truly instrumental in driving forward a scalable and innovative circular economy model. Together, we have demonstrated how collaborative leadership across sectors can transform surplus assets into sustainable, community-focused solutions that deliver real environmental and social value. This partnership embodies our shared commitment to embedding circularity and social impact at the heart of facilities management, creating lasting benefits for NHS workers, local communities, and the rehabilitation of prison inmates. Recirculate stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved through strong, values-driven alliances."
– AMELLE MESTARI, UK CSR DIRECTOR, EQUANS UK & IRELAND
Our expertise
Equans supports businesses, communities and the public sector by mobilising its expertise to provide low-carbon energy solutions, offer cutting-edge technical and FM services and transformative regeneration across the UK & Ireland.
