Upcycling and Industry
- Courtney Ann
- May 1, 2017
- 2 min read
Upcycling has become a movement in cultures around the world, it has made its mark on different continents and different industries within each, taking on a different meaning and aspect in each subculture. It has revolutionized the future of design, opened up business opportunities, and has helped introduce waste solutions. The movement has inspired and encouraged individuals to rethink what we consider ‘waste’ and give it a new life and meaning in order to help contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle and help eliminate the idea of ‘waste’. In Ireland, several companies have opened selling upcycled materials into new products; a few examples are Roundy, Mamukko, and Petalnew.
Roundy Squares uses upcycled fabrics to make handmade children's toys, each is unique in its design. Mamukko is a creative workshop that produces contemporary handmade bags and assessors. Each of their creations are made of upcycled sailcloth, PVC tarpaulin, and marine fabrics, allowing their products to be both unique and eco friendly. While Petalnew is an alternative flower company. They produce handmade flowers made from various paper materials including envelopes, newspapers, scrap paper, and textile industry thread scraps.
They also us buttons, gems, beads, and pearls from broken jewelry.
BioCellection, is a USA based company that biodegrades plastic pollution and upcycles unrecyclable waste into valuable products for textiles. Cocoon Modules, is a company based in Greece, it has a team of architects that rethink the dwelling by upcycling shipping containers and transforms them into living spaces such as holiday homes, hotel developments, industrial spaces, and emergency/safety housing. Their products are 15% cheaper than prefabricated construction in Greece and 30% cheaper than traditional. Pure Waste Textiles, a Finland based company, creates 100% recycled textiles through upcycling pre-consumer textile waste. Vinook Textile Recycling, is based in Mexico, where 4,032 tons of textile waste is discarded daily, Vinook is a professional picking and recycling system that guarantees the conscious and efficient use of leak through three different business: Waste Management, Regenerated fiber and Upcycling. Miniwiz in China, turns post-consumer waste into high performance materials. The Bali Recycling Company in Indonesia, creates handcrafted collections of upcycled glasses. PlastiKetic, in France, recovers empty plastic bottles to re-design and create furniture. Bottleworx, based in South Africa, is an innovative company that designs and develops functional containers suitable for all liquid and granular products. These industries are only a handful that are revolutionizing our way of life curbing our need for newly manufactured products with products that have been upcycled, which allows our society to still fulfill our consumer culture.
Comments