Concepts and Movements
Upcycling
Also Known As Creative Reuse
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Reworking discarded materials into something of higher value or quality: pallet furniture, quilt tops from worn shirts, jewelry from hardware. The name is recent but the practice is the old household thrift every craft tradition carries, given new purpose by environmental concern.
Facts
OriginThe word is credited to Reiner Pilz in a 1994 interview, and was popularized by the 2002 book Cradle to Cradle 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Upcycling (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality
1. Upcycling (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDowncycling sectionQuote, Downcycling section
Downcycling is the opposite of upcycling and the other part of the recycling process. Downcycling involves converting materials and products into new materials, sometimes of lesser quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between upcycling and recycling?
Upcycling reuses without breaking a material down; recycling does, often losing quality.
Recycling breaks a material down and remakes it, often losing quality in the process, a version of that loss called downcycling. Upcycling skips the breakdown: it reworks a discarded object or material directly into something of equal or higher value, keeping more of the original material and craftsmanship intact.
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