With increasing living standards and household income, Chinese people are buying and, at the same time, discarding new clothes at a daily rate to keep up with trends. The emerging e-commerce platforms now compels people to buy new garments not because they need them but just shopping has become convenient and cheap. Nealy 26 million tons of used clothes all over China are thrown out with the trash each year, according to the official statistics.

Recently, as more and more Chinese are acknowledging “one man’s trash might be another man’s treasure”, clothes upcycling has become a new fashion trend in China, attracting NGOs, fashion professionals, and businesses to jump into this field.

The benefit of upcycling is simple: it goes beyond recycling. For example, while recycling clothes requires energy to be spent in collection, transportation, and transformation, upcycling clothes demands less energy and makes them worth more than they were for their original purposes.

Moreover, upcycling clothes also has a sense of immediacy and community. More and more young people in urban areas are involved into a network to make positive changes in the community.

Nevertheless, compared to its counterparts in developed countries, upcycling in China is still at an early stage. Just as importantly, consumers and governments need to work together to identify paths toward upcycling. Within communities, more education and awareness are essential.