Upcycling is the change of waste materials to something commercially significant, It is a valuable idea that can be applied not only to the waste management industry but also to improve reusing and commercial success of upcycling organizations.

In Bangladesh of all places, this has become something of a trend to upcycle stuff. Let’s look at some of these industries responsible and what we can learn from them:

Garment’s upcycling is probably the biggest of the bunch who consider the Jhut (waste clothing) business to be a 20-billion-dollar business. Each day Bangladesh Garments manufacturing enterprises association exports Jhut worth Three hundred thousand dollars while employing 5 million people in the process directly or indirectly. However due to the social stigma of working with waste products, Bangladeshi people still considers this sector as dishonorable and even the government has failed to recognize the sector as a viable industry and so the industry has become a wild west of gold miners competing for lucrative waste management deals. Nonetheless, the sector has potential, and we should watch it closely to see where it moves in the future.

More and more unique craft items are coming in to fill up the cheap aesthetic trinkets segment for Bangladeshi teens looking for cool gifts. One of the products Finery a rickshaw paint aesthetic driven design farm uses their artistic skills has been shown here. Small and Medium enterprise owners are investing in Bangladesh related designs to attract more and more customers. In the meantime, this is saving thousands of glass bottles that takes millions of years to degrade from landfills.

Chittagong antique shops are the biggest example upcycling in Bangladesh. Ship breaking yards are one of the biggest industries in Bangladesh and it produces a lot of waste products which are very harmful for people as well as the environment, thankfully people have found a way to fix up these nautical antiques and sell them for a markup which has created jobs and saved the environment in the process.

We should feel inspired from these stories and ensure we practice the 3Rs in our life as well.