What is Up-Cycling?
Posted by Huibert Fousert on
When describing our Kalpana scarves that are made by Purnaa I explain that they are made from up-cycled silk saris. Since this isn't a super well known term I wanted to take a moment to share what up-cycling is.
Up-Cycling is reusing (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.
So what's the difference then between recycling and up-cycling? When something is recycled - typically plastics, paper, metals or glass – it is broken down so the basic materials recovered can be remade into something new. These products however are usually lower quality than what they were before being recycled.