Are you wondering is upcycling the same as recycling? Let’s see…

Upcycling is a process of moving the resources back up the supply chain. Meaning that we will be reusing the materials or resources without the quality and composition degradation. So does that mean that recycling materials is just a waste of time. No, it isn’t.

Recycling assists us greatly in waste management. This is the initial step that helps us in reaching a sustainable solution. This greatly limits the production of new materials. In that way, natural resources and other materials are saved significantly.

Now let’s see the merits of upcycling. The discarded materials are transformed into reusable items. This minimized the volume of the materials being discarded, which might end up in the landfills thereby causing environmental harm to all living beings. So this is going to reduce the different types of pollution such as water, air and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the most vital point to be noted is the conservation of global resources.

Upcycling can be done in different fields such as in textiles, furniture and also in industries. This is going to help us in the minimal use of natural resources, save materials, reduce them going into landfills.

When we think about upcycling in fashion, the process of textile production is really complex. This industry requires huge amounts of resources such as energy, chemicals that cause pollution, water and many other resources. This industry causes a lot of environment harms. Upcycling textiles is a great solution. This solution is now being considered not only by small artisans but also by famous designers and industries. We can also try upcycling in our house. It is pretty simple. We can try to use our damaged clothes or clothes that no longer fits our family members. First cut them and then use your imaginations and get them sewn to be reused. You just need to ponder over your idea and let your creativity flow for upcycling.

Have you tried to remodel your old furniture? I have done it. I have upcycled my broken furniture and reused them. You may try to fix your broken cabinets or wooden shelves into some decorating item for your living room. Use an old tyre and upcycle them to be used as a chair or teapoy. A plastic bottle to a pen stand, old newspapers to a box and many more. Just keep on thinking, we will be able to upcycle most of our household items.

I would like to share about a company that upcycles. It is Terracycle. I guess many might have heard about it. This company actually collects waste that is quite difficult to recycle. And then they produce many useful items such as tote bags, pencil cases, park benches, chairs, tables and many more. Isn’t it interesting?

Are you wondering is there going to be any social or economic benefits of upcycling?

Yes, there are quite a many such as:

1.       Upcycling will help in reducing the manufacturing costs as the designers are going to use the existing materials.

2.       This is going to help the small local businesses.

3.       The craftsmanship and ideas of the maker can be appreciated and motivated for their work.

Image source: https://youmatter.world/en/definition/upcycling/