The Merriam Webster dictionary defines upcycling as:

up·​cy·​cle | \ ˈəp-ˌsī-kəl

: to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item : to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value)

The key words in this definition comes at the end, "a discarded object." The upcycler's medium is what otherwise would have been trash. The process of upcycling is collecting and processing discarded objects into something "of greater value." When you are starting with trash, the bar is low, but making useful, valuable things out of trash can be a challenge especially in a culture where we haven't been trained how to do it.

History

Upcycling is not a new idea... before the advent modern consumer culture, upcycling was a integral part of the way things were done across human societies. When resources are difficult to come by, and products take time to make, people take more care of what they have. For example, when a person's socks became holey, they were darned rather than thrown away. Do you even know what darning means? If not, it's not your fault. With the advent of hyper-consumerism beginning in the 1950s, a transition occurred where product obsolesce became an integral part of the way things were made an marked.

In steps upcycling! Yes, it's is a bit of a buzzword, and more importantly it's a movement that responds to the throw-away culture of perpetual consumption. Upcycling today, as Kyungeun Sung writes, "a form of value oriented activism that suggests an alternative to the dominant modes of production (based on virgin raw materials) and consumption (i.e. purchasing new products)." It's a part of what academics call "new social movements" that emerged in the 60's around issues like peace, the environment, and gender equity. It's about creating another way to relate to the objects we use everyday that takes to heart concerns about the social and environmental ramifications of excessive consumption.

The word "upcycling" itself was supposedly coined by German engineer and upcycler, Reiner Pilz in 1994.

"Recycling? I call it down-cycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling, where old products are given more value, not less." (Reiner Pilz: thinking about a green future, Salvo Monthly, No 23, October 1994, p14)

Pilz' work was followed by a 2002 book "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things" by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. As the title suggests, they argued for changing the system to a cradle to cradle system, where all products are designed from the get-go to be upcycled or composted after their first intended use. Their work got the buzz going around upcycling, which took off along with it's siblings the Maker and DIY movements throughout the mid to late 2000s and on. Today, upcycling is trending in the fashion industry and corporations are using upcycling to green(wash?) their businesses.

Corporate vs. DIY

Companies like Worn Again source balloons to make jackets. Lufthansa is making furniture out of its old planes. Chipotle is turning avocado pits into tee shirts. Some have accused companies of using upcycling as a form of greenwashing- touting green practices while in most areas using social and environmentally destructive methods. Others believe that designing upcycling into systems of production and consumption is integral, from Branungart and McDonough's Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute to the more recent proponents of the circular economy.

What we're more interested in as proponents of grassroots solutions, is how we can take this matter into our own hands, literally. Below are some ideas.

Upcycling applications.

Upcycling in Art.

Using upcycled materials in art is an innovative, eco-conscientious way of creating impressive works of art both large and small. See our article on the subject for more!