This is a story of two sisters that created a successful eco-friendly business out of love for cycling. “The concept of upcycling and giving back to the society is engrained in ChariCycles’ DNA from the start,” says the Palestinian-Canadian Rania Kanaan, who with her sister Zaina Kanaan started up a business upcycling bicycles in Dubai, five years ago.

Today, ChariCycles has upcycled tons of second-hand bicycles salvaged from landfills in Japan and has distributed over a hundred bicycles to refugee children in various camps across Palestine, Syria and Jordan.

When the sisters started selling customized bicycles, they wanted to promote sustainability create a positive impact socially. “If every dirham we spend can impact the environment and the society better, then imagine how much good we are doing”, says Rania.

Well, they are not done yet, Rania says they want to take their concept beyond UAE and create a global impact as their concept is unique, and bikes are rarely recycled in most of the cities across the world.