What is upcycling?
The definition of upcycling
Upcycling is an Anglo-Saxon word that literally translates as “overcycling” or “recycling from above”.
The main difference between recycling and upcycling is the design of the finished product. When you recycle, you destroy the material and rebuild it. With upcycling, it's the opposite! You take an object as is and repurpose it, without expending additional energy to deconstruct the available material.
The origin of upcycling
It first appeared in Germany in the 1990s. Reiner Pilz, an engineer and mechanic by training, first coined the term, expressing concern about waste management in his country. According to him, either recycling is used to produce low-value products, or waste is simply destroyed. Without considering the various possibilities for repurposing it.
Although a precursor to the term "upcycling," in practice, it is developing countries that deserve credit for developing the concept. Primarily due to a lack of resources, recycling is a real necessity in these countries to maximize the usefulness of everyday objects and extend their lifecycle as much as possible.
JULES & JENN recycled canvas sneakers
Today, it is in the West, with the growing interest in ecological issues and sustainable development, that we are getting into upcycling, in addition to recycling. In a society of overconsumption where we throw away to buy identical ones and where planned obsolescence is part of our daily lives, new practices are emerging to prove to the world that making new from old is possible. And it works!
With increased creativity and a little elbow grease, many individuals and brands have taken to recycling and repurposing everyday objects. This is part of the circular economy concept, a practice that promotes responsible consumption, maximizing use, and second-hand goods.
A true ecological movement, upcycling is a simple and fun way, sometimes even unconscious, to keep items that haven't yet had their last word out of the dump! Since recycling isn't within reach for all products, upcycling is a very good initiative.
Today, more than just a fad, "upcycling" is emerging everywhere. In fashion, gardening, and even art galleries, no sector is immune to it.
Suitcases transformed into shelves
Clothes transformed into cushions
Pallets transformed into furniture
The interest of upcycling
Unsurprisingly, its primary interest is, of course, its positive impact on the environment. The goal being to design a new object from an existing one, there is no need to create material and therefore to draw on natural resources. Every year, humans use more and more natural resources and faster and faster. Earth Overshoot Day, the day when humanity has consumed all the resources that the planet is capable of renewing in a year, continues to move forward in time. As a result, the democratization of concepts like upcycling allows us to create new products without drawing on our already diminishing resources. For individuals, it is much simpler than recycling.
Because the principle is reuse and recovery, upcycling allows you to drastically reduce waste production. For example, leather scraps can be transformed into wallets, construction pallets into garden furniture, or old sweaters into pillows.
Besides being a way to unleash one's creativity, the economic aspect is also important. It is often much less expensive to give an object a second life than to buy a new one.
Upcycled objects
Upcycling at JULES & JENN
JULES & JENN and upcycling
At JULES & JENN, we also wanted to do our bit!
In perfect alignment with our values, it was only natural that we decided to create upcycled and recycled products.
Today, we offer a wide range of small leather goods, sneakers, and bags made from recycled and upcycled materials. Our upcycled small leather goods are made from scraps from our bag workshop in Graulhet!
We launched these products with a desire to reduce our waste and our impact on the environment. Seeing the amount of leather we have leftover, we decided to take action and recycle this material.
But using this surplus is not without consequences. Indeed, creating new products from our waste means having... waste! We do not use virgin material to create the objects in this range. As a result, we cannot restock a particular color or model whenever we want; we need to have material to repurpose.
