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2021 | Book

Introduction: State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice Read chapter Read first chapter

State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice

Proceedings of the International Upcycling Symposium 2020

Editors: Dr. Kyungeun Sung, Dr. Jagdeep Singh, Dr. Ben Bridgens

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Book Series : Lecture Notes in Production Engineering

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

This book presents the proceedings of the first International Upcycling Symposium 2020, held on 4th September 2020 at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, UK (online), as a joint effort between DMU, Lund University, Nottingham Trent University and Newcastle University. This book presents state of the art of research and practice in “upcycling” at the international level.

The subject of this book, upcycling, is a term to describe the processes of creating or modifying a product from used or waste materials, components and products, which is of equal or higher quality or value than the compositional elements. This book describes new theories, approaches and scientific research findings related to upcycling and presents examples of upcycling practice, across multiple sectors, scales and contexts. Bringing together research from over 35 multidisciplinary experts, the book discusses state-of-the-art knowledge and practices on upcycling in different geographical, economic, socio-cultural and technological contexts at an international level.

Readers will gain fundamental understanding of upcycling with its varied definitions and forms across sectors and scales, and to be informed of the latest upcycling research and practices including valuable ideas, theories, projects, experiences and insights by global experts.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Introduction: State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice
Abstract
Resource consumption has reached an unsustainable level, leading to devastating environmental impacts. For a more sustainable future, not only environmentally but economically and socially, material cycles need to be slowed down and, if possible, closed. Upcycling presents a promising alternative to mass production and consumption based on the use of virgin materials, in order to slow material cycles. There has been a growing academic and industrial interest in upcycling, particularly related to the emerging circular economy. Research in upcycling, however, is still in its infancy. Development of upcycling theories and practices is required if there is to be a transition in upcycling from niche to mainstream. As part of our efforts to develop upcycling theories and practices, we organised the first International Upcycling Symposium and called for contributions by international academics, practitioners and other relevant actors working on upcycling. In response, we received a wide range of papers across disciplines, sectors, industries, countries and regions. This chapter provides a brief summary of each contribution showing the state of the art in upcycling research and practice at the global scale which provides fundamental understanding of upcycling with varied definitions and forms and informs readers of valuable ideas, theories, projects, experiences and insights into upcycling by global experts.
Kyungeun Sung, Jagdeep Singh, Ben Bridgens, Tim Cooper

DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND THE UPCYCLED

Frontmatter
Object-Oriented Upcycling: An Object-Based Approach to the Circular Economy
Abstract
In this project, we explored the notion of furniture user interfaces within the context of dreams and dystopias in future urban living. In this context, some fundamental questions arise: How can furniture design evolve while maintaining and supporting our quality of life, together with notions of sustainability, circularity and respect for the environment in the context of an exponential population increase rate? And, how do these objects interface and coexist within these tensions? This chapter introduces a preliminary framework to address upcycling from an object-oriented perspective. We approached from an object-oriented ontology and conducted a case study on furniture design. A bidirectional multi-level taxonomy is presented to address notions of design, manufacturing, sustainability, circularity and respect for the environment. Based on the research findings, we recommend the integration of object-oriented upcycling strategies in the design process, as they insert a method for the re-materialisation of local waste into usable furniture.
Fernando Galdon, Sille Bertelsen, Jeremy Hulse, Ashley Hall
Designing for Second Life: Systemic Design for Sustainable Packaging in Appliance Manufacturing Industry
Abstract
This chapter outlines a case study of a systemic design project undertaken by the author for IFB Industries Ltd. in the context of washing machine packaging in India. The project is an attempt to rethink the life cycle of appliance packaging with an ecologically responsible approach using systemic design. The idea was to give second life to the packaging. The process involved understanding the system, developing research-driven insights and ideation. The result of this was a set of trends and solution directions. From these directions, upcycling as a solution was explored to develop ideas involving consumers as the change agents.
Ashwathy Satheesan
Upcycling of Silicon Solar Cells: What Are the Options?
Abstract
Solar power is widely recognised as a key clean energy technology which can help to replace the global reliance on fossil fuel energy sources. The rate at which photovoltaics are being deployed globally has increased approximately exponentially in recent years, with the vast majority of these devices being made from silicon. Whilst the number of solar modules reaching their end-of-life is relatively modest at present, it is rising and will increase significantly over the coming decade. As the number of silicon modules reaching their end-of-life rises, the issue of reutilisation of these cells has gained attention from scientists, governments and industries. Considering the cost of production, high embedded energy, potential significant volume of waste and scarcity of resource of certain cell parts, end-of-life silicon cells should be upcycled where possible. This chapter explores different options for upcycling (more specifically advanced or improved forms of recycling and reuse) of silicon solar cells at their end-of-life with the ultimate goal of contributing to reducing their post-use negative environmental impact whilst simultaneously benefiting the economy. This work discusses a range of theoretical options for successful upcycling of silicon devices through a review of the literature.
Patrick Isherwood, Kyungeun Sung
Scapegoat or Saviour: The Role of Design in Upcycling Research
Abstract
Upcycling is a portmanteau term that researchers have filled with a range of ideas and practices. Many of these remain restless in terms of consistent use and stability of definition. ‘Design’ is one of those unsettled terms, and this chapter explores that restiveness by considering, (i) design in upcycling literature, (ii) design in upcycling practice, (iii) the relationship of design to other common upcycling terms including waste and value, (iv) and to provide some notion of what ‘design for upcycling’ might include.
Neil Maycroft
Discourses in and Around Upcycled Artefacts: A Social Semiotic Perspective
Abstract
This chapter employs a social semiotic perspective to explore global/local discourses of upcycled artefacts. Social semiotics bring a focus on meaning-making to the emerging field of upcycling studies: in what ways does the social practice of upcycling produce meanings of, for instance, value adding, emancipation, or sustainability? In particular, this chapter focuses on the aesthetic and functional values that are added in upcycling that address the demands of different local and global markets. An interest in the relation between social practices, materiality and meaning-making is at the core of social semiotics, and this chapter focuses on how discourses in and around an upcycled artefact make it possible for it to move between cultural and geographical spaces, whilst both maintaining and transforming the meaning potential of the artefact.
Arlene Archer, Anders Björkvall
The Interplay of User, Context and Product in Everyday Design Behaviour
Abstract
As the world is facing persistent socio-ecological problems, more and more stakeholders are claiming sustainable approaches in various areas. In line with this, our research explored ways to help designers generate product features that communicate reuse and appropriation of daily products to stimulate sustainability. The focus was on the practice of reusing and/or transforming daily products by users—referred to here as everyday design (ED) which is a form of upcycling with some specific characteristics. Interviews with 100 participants were conducted to understand and measure the influence of user characteristics, product elements and context of ED. The study resulted in an overview of the factors that might trigger ED among users, the understanding of which can be integrated into new designs to extend products’ lifetimes. This could help designers find ways in which they can inspire and stimulate people to reuse their products and as such contribute to sustainable living.
Soyoung Kim, Henri Christiaans, Chajoong Kim
After Life: Lessons on Product Longevity from the Informal Economy
Abstract
India is a playground of resourcefulness which is a part of everyday life. In the informal setting, every vendor from the fruit seller to the furniture cobbler constructs necessary products and facilities from scavenged materials found nearby. The vendors create pride and build resistance to discarding these objects. There is more to it than the emotional bond between maker and object. To examine these and other traits of the people of informal markets and as an attempt to rethink design processes by incorporating materials from the informal economy, I conducted a student workshop in India. In the workshop, students observed street vendors and upcycled some street furniture, addressing the questions including “What can we learn from the informal markets and translate that on a larger scale?” and “How can designers make products that enable users value the old and worn out?”
Ishan Khosla
Upcycling, Jugaad and Repair Cafes for Prosumption
Abstract
This article explores two concepts—jugaad and do-it-yourself (DIY) repair cafes from the Indian and Western cultures, respectively, in relation to upcycling and their potential to address the sustainability challenges associated with overconsumption. Our theoretical exploration shows that jugaad, DIY repair cafes and upcycling have great potential to revive the preindustrial sufficiency-oriented behaviors and mindsets among the consumers and enhance resource efficiency through product longevity, repair and resource recovery from urban waste streams.
Jagdeep Singh, Charnita Arora

UPCYCLING IN FASHION, TEXTILES AND EDUCATION

Frontmatter
Material Inventories for Responsive Design in Fashion Practice
Abstract
This research proposes design methods for reuse and upcycling of post-consumer waste materials as an integral part of responsive design approaches for fashion design practice. The study seeks to overcome institutional barriers that limit potential applications of upcycling practices and how post-consumer waste materials can be included in fashion design curriculum and pedagogy. The findings reveal the need for a variety of design methods for upcycling to be embedded throughout education programmes from Bachelor to Master’s levels. The research suggests that academic institutions need to create a variety of assessment frameworks, foundational courses, learning activities and experiences that scaffold engaged uses and understanding of materials and diverse contexts and conditions.
Ricarda Bigolin, Erika Blomgren, Anna Lidström, Stefanie Malmgren de Oliveira, Clemens Thornquist
Soul-Shopping: Autoethnography, Upcycling, and Post-Growth Fashion
Abstract
Upcycling transforms the historically dominant, but increasingly exhausted, linear producer–consumer–waste model of the fashion ecosystem into something more circular. The recent rise in fashion upcycling transcends stereotypical perceptions of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) needlecraft or thrift. Mainstream fashion retailers offer incentives to customers for returning their unwanted clothes to store in return for a gift card, with some garments returning to the production cycle, for reinstatement in-store, and re-marketisation as exclusive upcycled fashion. Although this contributes to the upcycling movement, it misses the core ethos that the upcycling of fashion should not only contribute ‘to sustainable shopping as a whole, but also serve as art pieces, cultural commentary and a sense of connection’. This chapter introduces how to disrupt the fast-fashion system by reducing mindless fashion consumption, not from the point of design and production, but from that of the consumer; not as the end-point of the supply chain, but as the driver of the chain, whereby demand dictates supply—through the practice of soul-shopping.
Sam Hudson-Miles
Recontextualising and Appropriating Second-Hand Western Fashion Items in Non-Western Contexts
Abstract
A ‘death’ in the West, and an ‘afterlife’ offshore. What happens to the garments produced for and consumed by Western consumers when their initial lifecycle of use is deemed exhausted, and they are exported offshore? This chapter traces the condition that structures emergent fashion practices in non-Western nations generated by the global export of used Western garments. It looks at the ways that the trade of second-hand clothing (SHC) creates openings for designers and wearers to material alteration or the shifting of cultural categories such as symbolism, value, function or aesthetics. This chapter takes a global approach to the investigation into disused Western apparel and explores the multiplicity of meanings, uses and values that can be attributed to fashion items outside of their prescribed/designed use or application. To explore these new contexts of SHC, the authors discuss how value is attributed and altered as SHC moves along the value chain from the West to non-Western regions.
Anika Kozlowski, Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran
Future Pathways of Upcycled Textiles
Abstract
My research explores economies on a local level focusing on waste reduction in textiles, drawing connections through everyday life and local upcycling practices. The goal is to understand the perceptions of waste and motivations for upcycling within diverse communities with relationships in scalar models from local and niche to meta-levels. The benefits of the knowledge gained are to inform designers’ pathways for slower product turnover through circular models. The research is in the conceptual phase; this chapter, therefore, presents more questions than answers. The continuous research is envisioned to include further literature review, semi-structured interviews, fieldwork, workshops, and auto-ethnographic research into varied motivations for and approaches to fashion upcycling in online communities focusing on generational differences and projected future pathways.
Donna Maione
Scaling Up Upcycling: Studying Challenges and Suggesting Solutions for Its Integration in the Existing Supply Chain
Abstract
India is the second largest textile exporter in the world producing clothing for major global brands around the world. A huge amount of pre-consumer textile waste is being generated on the cutting floor of these export houses on a daily basis. There is also post-consumer textile waste comprising second-hand clothing, damaged textiles and costumes. The enormous amount of textile waste is not being balanced by the collective steps taken by sustainable consumers or communities. The acceptance of sustainable production practice such as upcycling by in-house designers and manufacturers has been low. The effect of upcycling on the larger, mass-consumption population remains insignificant. This chapter introduces present challenges with scaling up upcycling in the fashion and textile industry and proposes to conduct an in-depth qualitative study into India-based brands.
Pragya Sharma
Disrupting the Linear Textile Model at the Community Scale
Abstract
The textile industry constitutes immense environmental, social and political concerns. Whereas the concerns exist at every stage of the life cycle including cultivation of raw materials, design, production, distribution, use and end of life; this research focused on social, economic and political issues arising during the management of postconsumer textile waste. The goal of this research was to examine models focused on disrupting the linear textile model and frame schemes aimed at decreasing the stream of exported clothing to developing countries. The study focused on understanding how ‘reuse’ interventions at the primary consumer level could reduce postconsumer textile waste with an emphasis on keeping textiles within the local community.
Aziza Cyamani
Commoning Situated Knowledge: Co-Teaching-and-Learning the ‘Design-Led Upcycling’ of Waste Clothing
Abstract
This study examines the introduction of a ‘design-led upcycling’ group project into an established design and enterprise curriculum structure with students on BA (Hons) fashion and textile design at the University of Portsmouth, UK. It reflects the common experience and situated knowledges of academic, technical staff and students contextualised within the changing imperatives of design education. Academics and technicians re-evaluated their established teaching and support methods in relation to upcycling in design.
Elaine Igoe, Susan Noble, Lara Torres, Jennifer Cunningham
Exploring Upcycling as a Design Process Through Fashion Education
Abstract
If we accept the premise that upcycling is a design process for a sustainable circular fashion industry, this chapter poses the question, ‘how can we evolve fashion education in response’? Upcycling is more than reworking used garments into new, higher value items. It points to a new design process, fit for a future where we live within planetary boundaries. Focusing on one syllabus within a newly established design university in the United Arab Emirates, this project offers an alternative starting point for educating fashion students and serves as a challenge to the existing approach to design education.
Noorin Khamisani
Upcycling Advocate: Fostering Engagement and Empowerment Through an Upcycle Guidebook in Undergraduate Courses
Abstract
As many researchers have stated, fast and mass fashion has created an overwhelming amount of consumption and waste in our world today. One way to reduce the amount of textile waste is to take garments that would otherwise be thrown away, and reuse, recycle and upcycle them. Education for younger generations regarding such issues and solutions is crucial as decisions for a sustainable future are tied to the knowledge that students of today have acquired during their studies and in the subsequent years. In this study, the students’ development of an Upcycle Guidebook was a way for them to explore new design ideas thinking about how garments could be made by basic sewing skills for upcycling while also testing the effectiveness of the book.
Chanjuan Chen, Kendra Lapolla

UPCYCLING CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES

Frontmatter
Systems Approach to Scaling-Up Global Upcycling: Framework for Empirical Research
Abstract
Global urbanisation, increasing population, economic growth and development have caused increase in resource consumption, and consequently, a vast volume of waste and other negative environmental impacts. In order to reduce negative environmental impact, various approaches to resource management have been suggested and implemented in the system of production, consumption and waste management. One promising approach is upcycling, the creation or modification of a product from used or waste materials, components and products for equal or higher quality or value than the compositional elements. This chapter proposes a systems approach to scaling-up global upcycling through systems innovation in the critical factors in the upcycling value chain.
Jagdeep Singh, Kyungeun Sung
Repair and Upcycling: How Do We Know Which Repair Is Considered as Upcycling?
Abstract
A current linear economy based on ‘take, make, use and dispose’ has shaped unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and a transition to a circular economy based on reutilisation of used or waste materials and products is required for sustainable future. Repair is one of the important inner circles/loops of the circular economy which in principle alleviates resource scarcity and improves material efficiency. Upcycling incorporates multiple concepts and practices in the circular economy such as creative forms of repair, reuse, repurpose, refurbishment, upgrade, remanufacture and recycling such that the end results have equal or higher value or quality than the compositional elements. With present diverse understanding of upcycling, this chapter explains the overlap between repair and upcycling in order to provide some clarifications and facilitate future research in the intersection between repair and upcycling.
Kyungeun Sung, Tung Dao
Professional Upcycling in Partnership with Sustainability
Abstract
For the first time in millennia, creative reuse has a name as well as a place within our modern vocabulary. In 2019, ‘upcycling’ became Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year with searches on their website increasing by 181% since December 2011. Never before has reuse been associated with benefiting the planet’s environment and establishing a circular economy whilst giving life to a professional creative movement where upcycling is used to fashion products specifically for interiors. But no matter how much professional upcycling for interiors benefits the environment and economy and introduces unique twenty-first-century design aesthetics, progress has not been straightforward. This chapter provides a historical account of the increasing interest in upcycling for interiors over the past few decades in and around the UK.
Chris Billinghurst
Understanding Quality in Upcycled Products
Abstract
The current linear economy of ‘take, make, use and dispose’ has caused tremendous negative environmental impacts including resource scarcity, a large volume of waste, increased use of energy and therefore increased level of greenhouse gas emissions. As an alternative to the linear economy, a circular economy has emerged, and academics, industries, governments and intergovernmental organisations have paid attention to a variety of ways to reutilise used or waste materials and products. Upcycling is one promising approach to such resource reutilisation. It is typically defined as a process of keeping or increasing the value or quality of the used or waste materials and products, giving a second life to the compositional elements. The terms, value and quality, are often used to define upcycling in different pieces of the literature, but how exactly value or quality should be understood in the context of upcycling has not yet been fully investigated. This chapter discusses how one could understand quality in upcycled products in a comprehensive manner.
Kyungeun Sung, Deepti Mahajan
Jane Gray’s Upcycling Ethos, Lifestyle and Practice
Abstract
Being a weaver means being respectful of the slow-making process, engaging in mindfulness with attention to details, and being guided by intuition which allows one to explore ideas creatively from ethically sourced products and natural yarns. The evidence of the relaxed, risk-taking confidence with materials and processes is seen in the finished pieces but the process is as important as the finished pieces in fostering well-being and developing a creative contemporary approach to sustainability and collaborative conversation. This chapter presents my upcycling ethos, lifestyle, related practices, and processes as a sustainable artist and textile designer and showcases representative textile installations based on ‘biophilic design’ utilizing natural, sustainable resources.
Jane Gray
Understanding and Measuring Value and Quality of Upcycling with Fuzzy Linguistic Approach
Abstract
As an alternative to the current linear economy of take, make, use and dispose, a circular economy based on (almost infinite) resource circulation or reutilisation in a closed-loop system has emerged for overall reduction in negative environmental impact and economic growth. Upcycling is one promising approach to resource reutilisation and incorporates multiple practices in the circular economy. It is a process of keeping or enhancing the value or quality of the used or waste materials, components or products. Many varied definitions of upcycling often use the terms, value or quality or both. How exactly such value and quality should be understood or have been understood in the context of upcycling has not yet been fully studied. This chapter suggests one potential theoretical framework to understand upcycling in relation to perceived quality and value, and proposes its possible application to empirical research utilising fuzzy linguistic approach.
Kyungeun Sung
Elizabeth Emmens-Wilson’s Life Journey and Reflections as an Upcycler
Abstract
This chapter presents my personal experiences and challenges as an upcycler. From my experience and reflection, I realised two big challenges to overcome as an upcycler. One challenge is that customers do not appreciate the time, effort, and in some instances, money invested by the designer/maker in upcycling. Another challenge is access to input materials for upcycling as some material suppliers are reluctant to give away their waste materials. Despite the challenges, it has been an interesting journey I have had so far as an upcycler, exploring different waste materials and unlimited possibilities embedded in those materials. I wish other creative people could share this joy of giving a second life to waste materials. I hope to see the future in which more people appreciate what upcyclers do and bring to the world, and we, upcyclers, have a closer partnership with material suppliers and manufacturers to work together to reduce waste.
Elizabeth Emmens-Wilson
Designing for Positive Upcycling Experiences with People’s Well-Being in Mind
Abstract
People’s usual anticipation towards material consumption is that it pleases us, yet consumption experiences are not always pleasurable nor give us long-lasting positive emotional experiences. People sometimes regret their purchase, or the pleasure from material gain may wear off quickly, which does not make people happy in the long run. We propose that upcycling as a do-it-yourself experience could be a promising pathway for individuals to gain long-lasting happiness as well as resulting outcomes of upcycling which could facilitate further positive use experiences and special meaning. This chapter introduces how researchers and practitioners in service or experience design and development could use positive emotional granularity (PEG) in order to design for positive upcycling experiences that contribute to people’s well-being.
Kyungeun Sung, Jungkyoon Yoon
Metadata
Title
State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice
Editors
Dr. Kyungeun Sung
Dr. Jagdeep Singh
Dr. Ben Bridgens
Copyright Year
2021
Electronic ISBN
978-3-030-72640-9
Print ISBN
978-3-030-72639-3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72640-9

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