Upcycling is repurposing the waste we intend to throw, to create something new with the waste, reducing the waste we produce. It sounds like a good idea, right? It reduces the waste we produce, minimises the carbon emissions, and also reduces the pollution issues from the excessive waste we produce from our consumption and production habits (Wilson, 2016). Nevertheless, upcycling may not be as green as it looks. The plastic waste used to upcycle and repurpose the new products are actually taken from the plastic that could and would be recycled (Hrovat, 2018). Upcycling inevitably continues to encourage the use of plastic, instead of actually reducing the plastic consumption.

Upcycling of wooden pallets can also be detrimental to the environment, because more trees are being chopped down since upcycling technically cuts the pallet’s life span (Grocer, 2019). Therefore, upcycling may not be environmentally-friendly, though many businesses may use upcycling as a marketing technique to attract consumers that wants to be sustainable, consumers need to understand the potential problems of upcycling as well. It is not to say that upcycling should be stopped, but we need to consider changing our consumption habits first.

References

Grocer. (2019, November 30). Upcycling of wooden pallets is bad for environment, warns IPP. NLA Media. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/docview/2319664943/citation/639FA5C120A549EBPQ/1?accountid=13876

Hrovat, N. (2018, October 18). How Upcycling and Environmentalism are Turning to Shit and Creating Even More Issues. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@nejahrovat/how-upcycling-and-environmentalism-are-turning-to-shit-and-creating-even-more-issues-9ce5fafc173d

Wilson, M. (2016). When creative consumers go green: understanding consumer upcycling. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 25 (4), pp. 394- 399.