Help and answers
Sustainable Design Studio FAQs
Answers to the questions people ask Sustainable Design Studio most: current lead times for every plastic recycling machine and mould, worldwide shipping and customs, payments, kits and assembly, the 12-month warranty, returns, and custom mould design. Each section links to the full policy where there is one.
Current lead times
How long until my order ships?
Lead time is the time from order to dispatch. Sustainable Design Studio builds machines and moulds in small batches in the UK, so lead times move with demand. These are the current estimates for each product. Delivery time is the lead time plus the shipping time.
| Product | Type | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Shredder Mini V2 | Machine | 3 to 5 days |
| Desktop Shredder V2 | Machine | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Filament Maker V2 | Machine | 3 to 5 days |
| Extruder Mini V2 | Machine | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Injection Mini V2 | Machine | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Arbour Injection Machine V2 | Machine | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Fume Extractor V2 | Machine | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Premium Moulds (standard) | Mould | 3 to 5 days |
| Modular Moulds | Mould | 1 to 2 weeks |
- Orders with several items ship together, so dispatch follows the item with the longest lead time.
- Modular moulds with custom nozzles may take longer than 1 week.
- Premium moulds with custom nozzles are made to order and can take up to 6 weeks to dispatch.
- Lead times are estimates and can change in busy periods. If timing is critical, contact the team before you order.
Shipping and delivery
Shipping worldwide from the UK
Costs, customs, delivery times and tracking for orders sent from the Sustainable Design Studio workshop. Read the shipping policy
Yes. Sustainable Design Studio ships worldwide from its UK workshop and has delivered to customers in over 100 countries, across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and beyond. Every order travels by tracked courier with carbon-neutral delivery, and the shipping cost is calculated at checkout from your location and order size.
It depends on the destination, the size of the package and its weight. The online store calculates the exact cost at checkout, before you pay, so there are no surprises.
Possibly, depending on your country. Prices on the website exclude local taxes and duties, and orders ship DAP (Delivered At Place) by default, so the buyer pays any import charges, usually to the courier before delivery. Many countries have a tax-free threshold for low-value imports, so smaller orders often arrive with nothing to pay. DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping is available on request, with duties and taxes paid upfront.
Delivery time is the lead time plus the shipping time. Current lead times are in the table above. Once an order is dispatched, delivery typically takes 1 to 3 working days in the UK, 3 to 7 working days in Europe, and 5 to 12 working days to the rest of the world.
Yes. When your order is dispatched you receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking details, so you can follow the delivery all the way to your door.
Payments and ways to buy
Card, PayPal, bank transfer or instalments
How to pay, purchase orders and terms for organisations, currencies, and what international buyers should expect. See all payment options
Sustainable Design Studio accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Maestro debit and credit cards, plus PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Payments are processed securely and your card details are never stored by us.
Yes, depending on your region. At checkout you may see options such as Clearpay, Afterpay or Klarna. Choose the one you prefer and follow the instructions on screen.
Yes. For larger or custom orders, or if your finance team needs a quotation, email the team and we will send the bank details and an invoice.
Yes. Companies, schools, universities and other educational organisations can order on a purchase order with 30-day payment terms. Send your purchase order to the team and we will invoice against it.
All prices on the website are in GBP (£). If you order from outside the UK, your bank or card provider converts the payment at its own exchange rate. To pay in another currency, get in touch and we can provide bank transfer details in EUR (€) or USD ($).
Sustainable Design Studio adds no fees for international payments. Your bank or payment provider may charge its own currency conversion or cross-border fees.
Quality, pricing and value
Lower prices, without the shortcuts
Why the machines cost less than industrial equipment, how long they last, and where they are made. About Sustainable Design Studio
Sustainable Design Studio machines are affordable by design, not by compromise. Every machine is designed in-house specifically for small-scale recycling, which removes the unnecessary complexity, over-engineering and middle-man costs of traditional industrial equipment.
No. The machines are built to be robust, repairable and long-lasting, and they are used daily in schools, workshops, businesses and community recycling projects around the world. The lower price comes from focused engineering and efficient manufacturing, not from cutting corners.
Yes. They are designed for long-term use, maintenance and repair. Many customers are still running early versions of our machines years later, often with minimal servicing.
Four ways. The machines are designed for small-scale use rather than adapted from industrial machines. They use modular components that are easy to source and replace. They are manufactured and assembled efficiently in the UK. And Sustainable Design Studio sells direct, with no distributor mark-up.
Both. Universities, labs, start-ups, major companies, NGOs, designers and educators use Sustainable Design Studio machines in over 100 countries, and the studio has worked on projects for brands including Lush and Capri Sun. The machines are trusted in professional settings where reliability and safety matter, not only for experiments.
In the United Kingdom. Every Sustainable Design Studio machine is designed, manufactured, assembled and tested at the studio’s workshop in Hartley Wintney, and shipped worldwide from there. The studio was founded in 2020 by product designer Rory Dickens.
Yes. Sustainable Design Studio machines carry UKCA and CE certification, and each one ships with documentation covering safe setup and operation.
Kits, assembly and support
Building it, learning it, and getting help
Kits or assembled machines, the documentation that comes with them, spare parts, and training. Training options
Both, depending on the machine. Many Sustainable Design Studio machines are available as kits, and selected products also come assembled. Kits are designed to be straightforward to build, keep costs down, and show you how the machine works.
Kits keep prices lower, make international shipping simpler, and make machines easier to repair and maintain. Building the machine also shows you how it works, and many customers find that a valuable part of learning the process.
Assembly needs basic tools and some mechanical confidence, but no specialist engineering knowledge. Most kits take a few hours, following the step-by-step build guide.
Every machine comes with a printed Getting Started guide, access to the full illustrated digital build guide and user manual, and clear safety and operating instructions. The documentation is visual and practical, photographed step by step.
Yes. The digital manuals are online and can be read before you buy, so schools, labs and organisations can review safety, setup and operating requirements in advance.
Email the team. Help comes direct from the engineering team, usually within one to two working days, and most problems are solved quickly from a few photos or a short video.
Yes. Spare parts are available for every machine Sustainable Design Studio has ever sold, through the online store or by contacting the team.
Yes. Training runs remotely by the hour or on site by the day, anywhere in the world, and there is no charge per person, so the whole team can join. Every route starts with a free 30-minute call, and free live webinars are also available. Current rates are on the training page.
Warranty and returns
A 12-month warranty, and your rights
What the warranty covers, how returns work in the UK and abroad, and how to make a claim. Read the warranty and returns policy
Every Sustainable Design Studio machine has a 12-month warranty from the date of delivery or 2,000 operating hours, whichever comes first. It covers defects in materials and workmanship under normal use.
The warranty does not cover use of the machine other than as intended; improper assembly, commissioning, operation or maintenance; not following the operating instructions; unauthorised changes to the machine or to the programs that control it; improperly done repairs; poor monitoring of parts subject to wear; damage from foreign bodies such as stones or metal parts; force majeure; or the use of replacement parts and accessories that are not original.
The warranty does not affect your statutory rights. UK consumers can reject faulty goods within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Between 30 days and 6 months, faulty goods are entitled to repair or replacement, or a refund if neither is possible. EU consumers have similar protections under local law.
Yes, if you are a consumer and the item is unused and in resaleable condition. UK orders can be returned within 14 days of delivery under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. International orders can be returned within 30 days of delivery, subject to local law. Items that have been used, commissioned or operated cannot be refunded unless they are faulty or not as described.
Custom Premium Moulds and other custom-made items cannot be returned for a change of mind. They can only be returned if they are faulty.
You pay the return shipping, and on international returns any customs duties and taxes as well. On UK change-of-mind returns the original standard delivery charge is refunded. Refunds go back to the original payment method once the items have been received, inspected and approved.
Email contact@sustainabledesign.studio with your order details. Pack the item securely and include proof of purchase. Use a tracked shipping method, because we cannot accept liability for parcels lost in transit.
Cooling-off rights and some consumer protections do not apply to business-to-business purchases. Returns and warranty claims on B2B orders are handled under the contract terms for that order.
Custom moulds and product design
From an idea to a mould for recycled plastic
Custom mould design, what it costs in time, and who owns the result. Custom mould services
Yes. Sustainable Design Studio designs custom molds for customers who want to make their own products from recycled plastic, from adapting an existing design to developing a completely new mold from scratch.
Three types: Premium aluminium molds, Modular mold inserts, and 3D-printed molds. The right one depends on your application, budget and production volume, and we will help you choose.
A simple idea is enough. Sketches, reference products or a rough description all work. If you already have CAD files, we can review and adapt them for molding with recycled plastic.
Yes. Designing for recycled plastic is different from designing for virgin material. We help optimise wall thickness, draft angles, part geometry and gating, to improve flow, strength and surface finish in recycled plastic.
It depends on complexity. Modular inserts typically take 1 to 3 weeks. Premium aluminium molds typically take 6 to 8 weeks. We confirm the timeline before starting any work.
Yes. Custom moulds from Sustainable Design Studio are designed for small-batch production, workshops, pilots and local manufacturing. You do not need industrial volumes to justify a custom mold.
Yes. Unless agreed otherwise, the final mold design is yours, and we do not resell or reuse custom designs without your permission.
Choosing the right machine
Where to start, what it recycles, and what it runs on
Picking a first machine, the plastics each one handles, power, space, and use in schools. Talk to the team
Most beginners start with a Shredder Mini V2, an Injection Mini V2 and a mould. That set lets you process waste and turn it straight into usable products without unnecessary complexity. The Injection Mini V2 runs on compressed air, so you also need a compressor of at least 8bar with a 24L tank.
Both are for small-scale injection moulding, but they suit different workflows. The Injection Mini V2 is pneumatic and faster, which suits repeated small-batch production. The Arbour Injection Machine V2 is hand-powered with no compressor needed, and its 175cm³ shot handles bigger products and higher volumes.
It depends on the machine. The Shredder Mini V2 and Desktop Shredder V2 handle rigid HDPE, PP, PET, PLA, PETG, ABS, PS and LDPE. The Injection Mini V2 takes HDPE, PP, PLA, PETG, ABS, PS, TPU and LDPE, but not PET. The Filament Maker V2 turns whole PET bottles directly into 1.75mm filament. Avoid PVC on every machine, because it releases toxic gases when heated, and never mix plastics: a mixed part cannot be separated and recycled again. The plastic material database has tested data for each polymer.
Most Sustainable Design Studio machines are available for 100-120V or 220-240V mains and ship with a UK, EU, NA or AU plug, chosen at checkout. The Desktop Shredder V2 runs on 220-240V only, so in 110V countries it needs a 2kW step-up transformer. The Shredder Mini V2 is hand-cranked and needs no power. Check the voltage row on each product page before you order.
Most of the machines are designed for a desktop or workshop. A basic setup fits comfortably in a small studio, classroom or makerspace. Allow room for safe operation, ventilation and material storage.
Yes. Many Sustainable Design Studio machines are used in schools, universities and training settings. Clear documentation, repairability and visible processes make them well suited to teaching materials, manufacturing and sustainability.
Question not answered here?
Send it to the team. We reply within one to two working days, and the best questions end up on this page.