This Privacy Notice explains how Sigma Belt Works (Pty) Ltd ("Sigma Belt Works", "we", "us") collects, uses, and protects personal information when you use sigmabeltworks.com and our online training service (the "Service"). We are the responsible party / data controller for your personal information. We process personal information in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), and, where it applies to visitors in the UK and EU, the UK GDPR and EU GDPR.
| Category | What it includes | How we get it |
|---|---|---|
| Order & billing information | Name, email address, billing country, and transaction details for purchases. | Collected and processed by Paddle, our payment provider, at checkout. |
| Account & login information | Your email address, used to create your account and sign you in with a one-time link sent to your email (passwordless login). | Provided by you when you create an account or sign in. |
| Support communications | Any information you include when you email us. | Directly from you. |
| AI coach interactions | The messages, questions, and project information you submit to the AI coaching feature. | Directly from you when you use the feature. |
| Project work & progress | The Lean Six Sigma project you build in the Service — such as your problem definition, process maps, the data you enter into the tools, your analyses and completed work — and which belts you have unlocked. | Created by you as you use the Service. Once you have an account, this is saved to our database against your account so you can access it across your devices. |
| Technical data | Basic information such as IP address and browser type, used to deliver and secure the site. | Automatically, via our hosting provider. |
We do not collect or store your full payment card details. Card data is handled entirely by Paddle.
Where your project involves confidential information, the tools let you anonymise data as you enter it, so you can avoid putting sensitive names or identifiers into the Service and still complete the full project.
Our legal bases for processing (where GDPR applies) include performance of our contract with you, our legitimate interests in running and securing the Service, and compliance with legal obligations. Under POPIA, we process on the equivalent grounds of contract necessity, legitimate interest, and legal obligation.
We share personal information only with service providers that help us run the Service, and only as needed:
We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose information where required by law or to protect our legal rights.
Because our providers operate internationally, your information may be processed outside your country, including outside South Africa. Your account and project work are stored in our database, which is hosted in the European Union (via Supabase), where personal information benefits from GDPR-level protection. Some information is processed elsewhere — for example, the messages you send to the AI coach are processed by Anthropic in the United States, and our website is served through Netlify. Where information is transferred across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards as required by POPIA and GDPR.
We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described here, including to meet legal, tax, and accounting requirements. Your account and project work are stored for as long as you keep your account, so that your progress stays available to you across devices. You can export your project at any time using the download option in the Service, and you can ask us to delete your account and its associated data by contacting support. We may remove data associated with accounts that remain inactive for an extended period; where practical, we will give notice before doing so. Order records held by Paddle are retained according to Paddle's own policies.
Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or object to the processing of your personal information, to restrict processing, and to data portability. To exercise these rights, contact us at support@sigmabeltworks.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority — in South Africa, the Information Regulator; in the UK, the ICO; or your local EU authority.
The Service uses browser local storage so the site works and to hold your work in your browser — for example, while you use the free White Belt before you create an account. Once you have an account, your project work is saved to our database (see "Project work & progress" above). We do not currently use analytics or advertising cookies. If this changes, we will update this notice and provide any consent mechanism required by law.
The Service is intended for adults and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The "last updated" date above shows when it was last revised.
For any privacy question or request, contact support@sigmabeltworks.com, or by post to Sigma Belt Works (Pty) Ltd, Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, 4270, South Africa.