What is upcycling? Isn’t it just a fancy word for recycling? Having recently engaged in this discussion with my daughter and a few of my fellow Etsy North Georgia team members, I decided to do a little research on the subject. I design bottle cap pendants for my Etsy store (http://cowgirljewels.etsy.com) and our discussion centered on trying to decide if the pendants are recycled, upcycled, repurposed or something else. I had been marketing them as upcycled because I thought it sounded cooler, but were they truly an upcycled item?
Turns out that upcycling is more than just recycling in high heels. Upcycling refers to reusing an object (in my case, a bottle cap) in a new way (a pendant) without degrading the material it is made from. Recycling generally involves breaking down the original material and making it into something else – recycling also requires more energy than upcycling, making upcycling even greener than recycling because you eliminate the need for the energy used to break down the recycled materials. Who knew?
Contrary to what we artists would like to believe, the art community is not where upcycling originated. People in developing countries have been upcycling for years, using old packaging and clothing in new ways – more out of necessity than for the environment. Upcycling has now gone global and continues to grow in popularity as interest in eco-friendly products increases.
Upcycling is used in a wide range of products, including jewelry, furniture and fashion items. Bracelets made of retired flip flops, lamps made from blenders, furniture from skateboards…the combinations are creative and seemingly endless. Upcycled jewelry can be made from pretty much anything – and everything! Currently, there is a significant problem with plastics that stay in our landfills for an estimated 500 – 1000 years and metals that take years to rust away. While it is true that upcycling a bottle cap isn’t going to keep tons of trash out of landfills, that isn’t the sole purpose of upcycling. Upcycling is also about an idea – the idea that we are connected to the resources we use and that we can make those resources more useful instead of just getting rid of them. Plus, upcycled items are great conversation starters! 
It’s easy – spend a little time, create a few pieces of upcycled jewelry or anything else out of upcycled materials. Impress your friends with how “green” you truly are!
This week’s article courtesy of Julie Schieffelin from Cow Girl Jewels.
Filed under: General Information | Tagged: Crafting, recycling, reduce, repurpose, upcycling
I’m glad you cleared this up! I had the same questions.
Thanks! This is very informative
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Informative and fascinating! Thanks for the great article!
Great points cowgirl! I really like that idea!
What an awesome article! I really enjoyed reading it. I just love learning new things. Well done!
This is a fantastic article, really well written and very positive. Thank you!
p.s. I’m saving soda pop tabs for a chainmaille project but that upcycled project is going to take awhile!
Been on the upcycle bandwagon for a little while now. I love using that word “upcycled” because then people ask me what it means and I get to tell them about my jewelry. Great article, very informative. Thx
What a great article!!! I do some upcycling of old jewelry that friends and family give me… customers always love them and they sometimes come with a good story too from it’s previous owner.
YAY! I think a lot of us have been doing this all our lives, as artists, I know there are a lot of packrats around! “I better save that, I may be able to use it!” Thanks for the great article!