“Upcycling” is the transformation of waste-materials or unwanted scraps into new materials and products. Basically, one person’s trash (or, often your own trash) is another person’s treasure.
Old t-shirts? Destroyed furniture? Single use water bottles? Whatever scraps you have lying around, you can check out the website “Upcycle That” among others for ideas on how to beautify them!
Don’t want to “upcycle” your own furniture? You can also go on to websites like Hipcycle (https://hipcycle.com/) or Etsy to fill your house with other peoples’ reused and rejuvenated goods!
Written by: Teddi Shapiro, class of 2019
Photo thanks to Pixabay
In fact, suppliers and manufacturers have already started adopting this at a really wide & massive scale so much so that they incentivize their customers to procure such repurposed/upcycled furniture so as to avoid wastage, economic degradation.
Even market leaders have increasingly begun doing this.
You’re right, Teddi.
In fact, furniture presents one of the more impactful opportunity. Imagine the scale of impact if even 10% of our population shifted to repurposed or upcycled furniture…that is 350-700 million trees (https://www.ran.org/the-understory/how_many_trees_are_cut_down_every_year/) saved every year!
We urge not just individuals but even commercial institutions (hotels/restaurants, offices, schools/universities) to shift to the beauty & charm of eco-friendly furniture options.