Meet upcycling: the new darling of sustainable and functional design
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Have you ever heard of upcycling ? Although it is not a new practice, upcycling has gained prominence in recent years as a more environmentally responsible design. The technique seeks to give a new purpose to materials that would otherwise be discarded, with creativity and quality.
Several sectors are increasingly seeking to optimize the life cycle of their products and adopt more sustainable production habits. The textile and furniture industries, for example, see upcycling as a business opportunity.
The practice allows for the indiscriminate use of creativity. Transforming a chest of drawers into a pet bed, a lampshade into a luxury bag, and trash can lids into decoration validate the idea that anything is possible. You know that old, broken cabinet that you love and can't let go of? With upcycling, you can ensure the continuity of the life cycle of this piece of furniture in different ways, from a decorative piece to a brand new sofa. In short, in upcycling , everything can be reused; you just need to be creative.
The technique makes it possible to rethink everything that we often consider disposable and transform it into something new, intelligent and functional. With this in mind, John Richard , the largest office and home furniture subscription company in Brazil, together with Tuim , the first home furniture subscription company in the country, developed the Sofa Project, a socially responsible initiative that gives new meaning to spaces through furniture that has reached the end of its life cycle in the subscription. By donating furniture in excellent condition, both brands revitalize items to give them new meaning and prevent them from becoming trash.
Aiming at upcycling , the project has already resulted in a partnership with the Instituto Europeo di Design and students from the Product Design, Fashion and Graphic Design courses. As part of the semester-ending project, the students were invited to rethink items that had reached the end of their useful cycle and put their creativity into practice to give them a new life and functionality.
Upcycling promotes smart furniture consumption, in addition to posing a challenge to society: seeing a new functionality for furniture before discarding it, which is what we are commonly used to.
Connected to the circular economy, the concept of reuse makes it possible to reduce waste in landfills, in addition to promoting a new look, new possibilities and forms for products, after all, everything is transformed, nothing is lost.
Do you already know what you will transform? Remember that the possibilities are endless!