Sep 6, 2011

A to Z of Crafts - U = Upcycling

Okay, so maybe I've taken a bit of poetic license on this one but given the huge variety of handmade items that are available, all upcycled items, I believe it is a valid "craft" to include.

So what is upcycling? Upcycling is defined as the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality. This is as opposed to downcycling where the new products are of a lesser value than the original. The term recycling covers both.

The first recorded use of the term upcycling was by Reiner Pilz of Pilz GmbH in an interview in 1994. Talking about the impending EU demolition directive he stated "Recycling - I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling where old products are given more value not less".

So here are some great upcycled handmade products that I have found, all made here in Australia:






2 comments:

wimcee said...

Love the clock/plate!

Deb (Two Cheeky Monkeys) said...

Thanks for including my cake stand! I really like that owl brooch!

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