To address environmental challenges, companies are increasingly interested in the circular economy. This model allows them to effectively couple their economic, social, and environmental objectives. Among the many practices that fall within this approach is upcycling, also known as creative reuse, which literally means "recycling upwards". This approach involves recovering materials or products that have already been used or are destined for disposal, then transforming them into new products with higher added value. Companies are gradually embracing it to take advantage of its many benefits.
What is upcycling?
In their reference ecology manifesto "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things", William McDonough and Michael Braungart define upcycling as "the action of recovering materials or products that are no longer in use to transform them into materials or products of superior quality or utility. We therefore recycle 'upwards'."
Through upcycling, we valorise waste, as well as old objects, manufacturing offcuts, production surpluses... In other words, anything that can still serve as a material. In this sense, this practice fully aligns with a "zero waste" approach and thus with a circular economy approach. This helps to reduce resource wastage, as well as waste production.
This approach goes further than recycling, or even second-hand use, which consist of giving materials or products a second life. Especially since recycling often tends to degrade the quality of materials over cycles. The idea with upcycling is to give a new "high-end" life to the original product, which is often very far from its first life. The result is innovative, functional, and aesthetic products.
The evolution of upcycling, up to today
Developing countries have always practised upcycling. It was a necessity for them, lacking resources, to extend the products' life cycle. Over time, this concept has become widespread across the world due to its creative, innovative, and ecological aspects.
However, the term "upcycling" really came into being in the 1990s. It was Reiner Pilz, a former engineer turned interior designer, who declared in a German magazine: "Recycling, I call it down-cycling. [...] It destroys everything. What we need is up-cycling, which involves giving old products a higher value, not a lower one."
Today, this concept is particularly widespread in the fashion, decoration, and design sectors. For example, pallets can be upcycled into furniture, fabric scraps into clothing, old tyres into leather goods accessories... We even see brands positioning upcycling at the heart of their business model.
Any organisation can now integrate upcycling into its operations. In their second book "The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability - Designing for Abundance", William McDonough and Michael Braungart share some examples: "A city can consider installing biogas plants in the local waste disposal site to provide free energy. A company can resell its used paper to a nutrient manager who will then use it for other key products and compensate the company in return."
How to integrate upcycling into your company?
It is now up to companies to integrate upcycling practices at the heart of their activities. To achieve this, three key steps should be followed: Conducting an inventory, focusing on collective intelligence, and building an action plan.
Evaluating your raw materials and waste
The first step is to conduct an inventory of the raw materials used during the production process as well as the waste generated by your company's activities (plastic, glass, cardboard, paper, water...). This provides a global view of your company's flows, thus identifying upcycling opportunities.
Conducting collective reflection
From these elements follows an analysis and ideation process during which it is essential to involve all stakeholders. This notably includes the procurement, finance, logistics, production teams of your company... It is also interesting to integrate some of your suppliers, as well as experts in upcycling into the reflection. The collaboration of all these actors is essential to build virtuous, effective, and adapted solutions.
Building an action plan
Lastly, the third step aims to develop an adapted strategy. Companies can incorporate upcycling into their procurement and/or production process. To ensure the success of the project, it should be managed based on clearly defined indicators: For example, the volume of upcycled materials integrated into the manufacturing process, or the amount of purchases that upcycled items represent.
Upcycling: What benefits for companies?
The adoption of upcycling practices in companies presents multiple advantages for organisations themselves, of course, but also for their entire ecosystem.
Reducing costs
First, upcycling is a formidable lever for savings. The reuse of materials, waste reduction, as well as the savings on energy and transport that this practice induces enables companies to reduce their costs.
Stimulating innovation
Upcycling is a creative process. This paves the way for innovation not only in terms of products, but also processes. Companies can therefore diversify their product and/or service offerings, create new collaborations, explore new markets...
Differentiating in the market
Upcycling, by its circular essence, carries solid commercial arguments. Products resulting from upcycling assuredly have a lower impact on the environment. It's a good way to stand out from the competition and thus attract and retain new customers, partners, and investors who wish to contribute to the planet preservation.
Strengthening brand image
Integrating upcycling at the heart of your organisation is a concrete commitment to sustainable consumption. This thus contributes to strengthening your image as a sustainable company among your stakeholders: Customers, employees, suppliers...
Upcycling is a fantastic opportunity for companies to respond to ecological challenges, while ensuring the competitiveness and sustainability of their activities. Especially as stakeholder expectations in terms of social and environmental responsibility are growing. Engaging in this approach is therefore contributing to a sustainable future for all.