Privacy Policy — EcoWorm Solutions

1. Introduction

EcoWorm Solutions ("EcoWorm", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have in relation to your personal information. This Policy is issued in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") of South Africa.

2. Who we are

EcoWorm Solutions is a South African business supplying live composting worms, premium vermicompost, worm composting training, and related digital products. We are the "Responsible Party" as defined in POPIA for the personal information we collect through our website and in the course of our business.

For any privacy-related queries, you can reach us via the Contact section of our website.

3. Information we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

Identity and contact details: name, surname, email address, phone number, and (where relevant) business or farm name.
Delivery information: physical delivery address, suburb, city, postal code, and special delivery instructions.
Order information: products purchased, quantities, dates, and communications relating to your order.
Payment information: payment confirmations and references. We do not store your full card or banking details — all payments are processed by a secure third-party payment provider.
Training and digital product information: course bookings, attendance, and digital products downloaded.
Website and technical data: IP address, device type, browser type, pages visited, referring URLs, and similar analytics data collected via cookies or similar technologies.
Marketing preferences: your consent to receive newsletters, promotions, or product updates.

4. How we collect your information

We collect personal information directly from you when you:

place an order or request a quote on our Website;
book a training course or workshop;
download a free or paid digital product (e.g. ebook);
complete a contact form, email us, or message us on WhatsApp/social media;
subscribe to our newsletter or marketing list; or
browse our Website (via cookies and analytics tools).

5. Why we collect and use your information

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

to process orders, payments, deliveries, and refunds;
to deliver training services and digital products;
to communicate with you about your order, booking, or query;
to issue invoices and comply with tax and accounting requirements;
to send you marketing communications about EcoWorm products, training, and tips — only where you have consented (you can opt out at any time);
to improve our Website, products, and customer service;
to detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or unlawful activity, and to enforce our Terms & Conditions; and
to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

6. Legal basis for processing

We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under POPIA:

Performance of a contract — to fulfil your order, booking, or download request.
Consent — for marketing communications, cookies (where required), and any optional information you share.
Legal obligation — to comply with tax, accounting, and consumer protection laws.
Legitimate interest — to operate, secure, and improve our Website and business, in a manner that does not unduly affect your rights.

7. Sharing your information

We do not sell your personal information. We only share it with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

Payment providers — to securely process your payments.
Courier and delivery partners — to deliver your live worms, vermicompost, or other physical products.
IT and hosting providers — to host our Website, store data, and send transactional emails.
Email and marketing platforms — to send newsletters or order updates (only where applicable).
Professional advisors — accountants, auditors, or lawyers, where strictly necessary.
Regulators or law enforcement — where we are legally required to disclose information.

All third-party operators are required to keep your information confidential and to process it only on our instructions and in line with POPIA.

8. Cross-border transfers

Some of our service providers (e.g. cloud hosting, email, or analytics) may store or process your information outside South Africa. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient is subject to laws, binding rules, or contractual terms that provide a similar level of protection to POPIA.

9. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law (for example, tax records must be kept for at least 5 years). When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

10. How we protect your information

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These include secure hosting, restricted access, encrypted payment processing, and ongoing review of our systems. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and you share information at your own risk.

11. Cookies and analytics

Our Website uses cookies and similar technologies to help it function properly, to remember your preferences, and to understand how visitors use the site. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, but some parts of the Website may not work as intended without them.

12. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

be notified that your personal information is being collected;
request access to the personal information we hold about you, and request a record of how it has been used or shared;
request that inaccurate, irrelevant, outdated, or unlawfully obtained information be corrected or deleted;
object, on reasonable grounds, to the processing of your personal information;
withdraw your consent to marketing communications at any time (e.g. by clicking "unsubscribe" or contacting us);
lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your privacy rights have been infringed.

Information Regulator (South Africa): inforegulator.org.za
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za

13. Children's privacy

Our Website and products are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without consent, please contact us so we can delete it.

14. Third-party links

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites or platforms (e.g. social media). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and recommend you review their privacy policies before sharing any personal information.

15. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The latest version will always be available on this page, with the "Last updated" date shown at the top. We encourage you to review it periodically.

16. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your rights, or want to make a complaint, please contact us via the Contact section of our website.