4 Reasons Why Upcycling Matters
By Isabella Johnston
The amount of trash that is filling the streets and landfills is becoming a problem. Instead of throwing old items away, there is a trend that takes the old materials and transforms them into a stylish piece of art. The term “upcycling” is a practice that encourages people to “go green.” This practice is emerging on social media platforms with the hashtag #upcycle as the term keeps growing, with posts including upcycled art, furniture, clothes, and more.
What is Upcycling?
Upcycling is “a process in which used materials are converted into something of higher value and/or quality in their second life. It has been increasingly recognised as one promising means to reduce material and energy use, and to engender sustainable production and consumption” said Sung.
Kyungeun Sung, is a Senior Lecturer in Product Design, School of Art, Design and Architecture at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. This practice suggests that it has existed since before the Industrial Revolution due to scarce resources. Instead of throwing away useful items, people are taking a creative approach to repurposing materials. It reduces strain on the environment and your own personal expenses.
Sustainability
Sung, approached this concept with the idea that upcycling supports a circular economy. This kind of economy supports a system where someone can reuse a good multiple times rather than it becoming a waste product.
Consumers in today’s society are leaning towards a more sustainable environment and developing customer loyalty that lies with eco-friendly and sustainable products and companies. NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business has researched the statistics regarding where people are spending their money on packaged goods. The facts show that “50% of CPG growth from 2013 to 2018 came from sustainability-marketed products.”
Recycle vs Upcycle
The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, refers to recycling as “the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.” Often, these products are lower quality compared to upcycling where materials are not being broken down, but refashioning the initial materials.
Generation Z
Upcycling took a turn where Generation Z and millenials have become more involved in creating a sustainable and eco-friendly environment. “Generation Z shows the most concern for the planet’s well-being and influences others to make sustainability-first buying decisions, according to new research” said Johnny Wood, a writer at the company Formative Content.
As Generation Z holds power and influence when it comes to trends, the “upcycling trend has received renewed attention in the past few years due to growing concerns for the environment related to increased resource consumption and waste volumes” explained Jagdeep Singh.
Singh is the CEO of the energy storage American startup company QuantumScape Corp.
Trends
Generation Z has taken this process to the social media platform TikTok. As upcycling grows attraction and attention from the site, it is becoming more popular.
In 2020, Vogue stated their mission, “Upcycling is the biggest trend in fashion right now. From Balenciaga to Miu Miu, creating new clothes out of old materials is finally being embraced by major luxury brands.” Designers such as Priya Ahluwali, Bethany Williams and Emily Bode, “made their names by repurposing textiles that already exist.” Influencers promoting how they are self-made designers, are influencing change to society.
The Future
Upcycling is the future of thrifting. The goal of upcycling is to create a more sustainable and green environment. During the Covid-19 pandemic, people found activities to keep themselves busy in isolation. New hobbies were formed, working out became more popular, and many started to upcycle their belongings. The pandemic allowed people to think outside of the box and be creative, which is needed to start anything new, like upcycling. While you are repurposing old furniture or clothing, you’re saving the planet one step at a time.
