Working with
Upcycling
First of all, This project has taken many turns and our thoughts have been all over the world, but we have still remained anchored in Linköping, Sweden. With the help from amazing people, we managed to develop a concept that we are proud of. For that, we would like to send our gratitude. First, we want to thank our project owner David Eklöf and supervisor Nazli Özkan, whose guidance, expertise and enthusiasm have been of great importance. You have provided us with interesting thoughts, challenging discussions and useful feedback, and you have played important roles in developing our project and pushing us forward. We would also like to thank Johan Ölvander for successfully supervising the course, as well as Thomas Magnusson, Philip Ekströmer and Rune Olsson for valuable support, motivation and input regarding project management. Thanks also to Ella Kalén and Anton Birgersson for being supportive student tutors.
Thank you!
“Recycling, I call it down-cycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling, where old products are given more value, not less.” - Reiner Pilz, 1994
Hello! We are six students studying at the Master of science in design and product development program at Linköping university. This booklet is the result of our bachelor project and three separate bachelor theses studying different approaches to the subject ‘upcycling’.
Cristoffer Mendoza
Fatima Abdirashid
Lisa Ring
Proactive Design
Textile Upcycling
Upcycling Aesthetics
Jacob Rapp
Li Andersson Lidforss
Jonathan Rubensson
Proactive Design
Textile Upcycling
Upcycling Aesthetics
Upcycling What? Upcycling is a relatively new word for an old concept that is about creating new value in discarded products and materials. It refers to a circular process where used products and materials are brought back and reused, as they are or as raw material, in new industrial processes. In contrast to recycling, there should be no decline in quality during an upcycling process.
How? On a smaller scale, upcycling can refer to DIY projects, where people at home do repairs and build new things from household waste. From a larger perspective, upcycling can be a business strategy where companies produce and sell products made of, for instance, textile offcuts and wood from discarded furniture.
Why? The purpose of upcycling is multifaceted, it aims to reduce environmental impact both by optimizing usage of resources, but also by changing consumption behaviours. Historically, repairing products and reusing materials have been a part of everyday life, but since the industrialization and development of mass production this has changed. Instead of carefully using nature’s resources we now consume them rapidly. Expectations of quality and product performance have declined significantly, and a throw-away mentality has emerged. However, today’s growing concern about human impact on the environment puts sustainable consumption in the scope of interest. People’s willingness to take care of, and repair products, is of great importance to turn the consumption behaviour trend towards sustainability.
The Project The aim of this project is to inspire designers to work with upcycling and to show that the possibilities in this area are endless. In this booklet, we highlight three different approaches when working with upcycling. Working proactively is the first approach, where the goal is to minimize offcuts and waste, make the life of products longer, and plan for end-oflife. The second approach investigates how textile offcuts can be used in upcycling product development. Lastly, affecting consumer perceptions of upcycled products with design is the third approach. During the project, we have worked with these approaches in a product development process of upcycled seating furniture. This resulted in a concept of a modular furniture for public spaces which is presented in the end of this booklet. Consider this concept as one example out of many possible solutions.
Proactive design
Textile Upcycling
Upcycling Aesthetics
Proactive Design Upcycling focuses on creating value from waste, which may be perceived as a reactive approach. However, there are possibilities to work proactively with upcycling, especially for the designer. Already in early product development stages, designers can solve problems beforehand and create incentives to restore products, parts and materials by preparing them for future upcycling. This may also increase the products’ longevity. To pave the way for upcycling, we have gathered some important aspects to consider.
Material Usage In today’s society, we are consuming rather than using nature’s resources. Some studies even show that we will experience severe shortcomings of commonly used materials in the near future. To make full use of resources, it is important to process and use them respectfully. We must reduce offcuts through thoughtful material usage and nesting, as well as remove redundant parts and materials within our designs. We should also construct quality products that can be used and repaired over and over again. Furthermore, value and embodied energy added through previous manufacturing processes should be retained in closed consumption loops, giving new life to products when they are no longer fulfilling their initial purpose.
Design for Disassembly To retrieve products, components or materials in order to reuse or remanufacture them, it is essential that they can be separated and processed with non-destructive methods. Disassembly is also vital for inspecting, maintaining and repairing products, extending their useful life and keeping them in good condition. The possibilities of disassembling a product are mainly determined during the initial design phase, meaning that the decisions with the biggest impact are made during this stage. Connectors and fasteners, as will be explained soon, play a central role in the disassembly process. Corrosion, worn screwheads or damaged fasteners make disassembly times longer and thus increase the costs and reduce profit margins. Wear resistance and robustness are therefore two factors of great importance for industrial disassembly.
Connectors and Fasteners To enable non-destructive disassembly, the type of fastener used is a crucial factor. The most important fastener feature is reversibility, which refers to the ability to be fastened and unfastened several times. Besides enabling component or part reuse, this also facilitates repair, maintenance and upgradability during the usage-phase of a product, which creates possibilities to extend their longevity. To create economic incentives to properly disassemble and reuse products, it is important to speed up the disassembly process. This can be done with the use of standard fasteners and minimization of variety in elements used, as well as how many individual fastening elements a design includes. It is, however, crucial to bear performance and robustness in mind, since risking damages to fasteners, besides causing premature failures, also affects disassembly time negatively. This means that reducing the number of fastening points always must be balanced against product reliability and strength, to ensure safe operation without the risk of damaging parts or fasteners.
Textile Upcycling It is no secret that the textile industry is almost entirely linear, producing more waste than it salvages. Less than one percent of textiles are being closed-loop recycled. With perfectly usable material sent to landfills or incinerated, this potential resource is hidden in plain sight. One way to approach this issue is by implementing more sustainable production methods, reducing the amount of offcuts generated. Another is by upcycling the produced scraps, using innovative and creative solutions. That in turn can be re-upcycled, thus closing the loop of today’s linear textile production.
Chemical Upcycling Methods One approach to reuse post-industrial textile waste is through chemical upcycling. This method refers to reengineering the material by tampering with the fibres on a molecular level, which also enables tailoring the properties of the outcome. By breaking the fibres down to their molecular structure and customizing, for example, the chemicals used, temperature and process time, the end result can be anything from new fibres to new materials. Polyester fibres are more common when it comes to industrial chemical upcycling. However, with new technology emerging, commercial cotton upcycling is on the rise.
Mechanical Upcycling Methods A leaner way to commercially upcycle textiles is mechanical upcycling. This method approaches textile upcycling without the help of chemicals, and even without water in some cases. The basis is to mechanically separate the material through shredding or tearing it into smaller pieces. The outcome can be new fibres through fibre-to-fibre production, thermal insulation or padding. However, due to inevitable degradation of the fibres, mixing in virgin materials is necessary to prevent reducing the quality and value of the textile. The fibre of choice, for this method, is often wool and cotton. A rather common strategy is to incorporate the mechanical fiber-to-fiber method into wool fabric production, and through that, continuously repurpose the produced offcuts into new usable yarn.
Boutique Manufactured Upcycling There are also other ways to work with fabric waste that do not include breaking it down and putting it back together. Instead, by using the material in its original state, the value is added through changing its surroundings and the way the material is used. The trick here is to utilise the material in an efficient way, for example, by using appropriately sized offcuts for the method chosen, and choosing materials with desirable aesthetics. This different approach to textile upcycling can be seen in some companies. They work with increasing the value via, for example, craftsmanship, quality stitching, product design and high finishes, combining it with making products for contexts different from their initial one. These companies tend to rely on pre-existing knowledge of the design process and use it to experiment and find new solutions for waste materials. Naturally, the strategy is to use big offcuts for bigger parts and vice versa, utilising the material fully. This also allows for bigger possibilities for re-upcycling at the end-of-life.
“ [...] the result is a product that has a story, character, originality, history, it’s tactile, it’s like a piece of art.” - Mamukko, 2020
Upcycling Aesthetics Traditionally, upcycling has mainly been related to technological development, such as creating more sustainable materials and designing for disassembly. However, to make people interested in upcycled products, more than just impressive technology is needed. User perceptions of upcycled products are generally more negative, and people especially doubt the quality of these products. To change these negative attitudes and preconceptions, the designer can play an important role. Working with aesthetics from an upcycling point of view is essential to create positive emotions and perceptions of good quality. In this project, we have identified three aspects of importance for upcycling design: harmony, unity-in-variety, and green values.
Harmony Affecting peoples’ perceptions about upcycled products can be done by using the aesthetic principle of harmony. Harmony can be defined as a measure of how much the design of an observed object creates a consistent and uniform pattern. Three levels of harmony are often discussed: low, medium and high harmony. The figure below illustrates the levels by showing differences in contrast of a product. For optimizing perceived aesthetic appreciation, research has shown that the product should be designed with medium harmony. Having this in mind when designing upcycled products is of great importance to enhance aesthetic perceptions.
high harmony
medium harmony
low harmony
Unity-in-Variety Upcycling is, however, often related to material inconsistencies, like asymmetrical patterns, different sizes of offcuts or unevenly worn wood from discarded furniture. This may be challenging, but it can also be seen as an opportunity to create interesting perceptions, using the concept of unity-in-variety. To create a comprehensive, and pleasurable perception, there must be some sort of unity that our senses can capture, like harmony. Other aesthetic universals that create unity
are simplicity and similarity. However, if a product is expressing too much unity, it may be perceived as uninteresting and not attracting our attention. Variety is therefore also an important aspect to consider when designing products to elicit positive emotions. Variety could, for instance, be expressed by asymmetrical patterns or different colours. Therefore, using the variety in upcycled materials to create unity is also an important strategy for upcycling design. Unity-in-variety
Green Values As global concern about environmental protection is growing fast, it is also important that designers are aware of the opportunities this entails when working with upcycled products. Making people more interested in upcycled products can be done by heightening the perceived green value in the products. If a product expresses sustainability, it is more likely that the user finds it more valuable and is willing to buy the product. Green values have previously been associated with lower quality, but people have changed the way they value sustainability in products. Green values may even heighten the perceived quality of upcycled products. Creating green values can be done by using raw materials, highlighting material irregularities or using a natural colour palette.
Our
Concept The primary focus when developing our concept was to include upcycled wood and textile where the aim for our product was to elicit feelings of sustainability. The decision to design furniture for public space was made because of several reasons. Mainly, due to the furniture’s placement, it naturally becomes exposed to plenty of different user groups. Some may like upcycled products right away, but others may need some time to digest, experience, and use these products in order to accept them.
The Product The result of this process ended up as a modular and adaptable series of furniture. To include our main priorities of upcycled materials, the concept became rather modular with many ways of customization. Once again, it is also worth mentioning that this is only one example to many solutions, as we believe there are more ways to develop this concept even further.
The vast variety of expressions that furniture can show gave us an endless design space to work with. This enabled us to include and combine all of our approaches to upcycling because of the varying ways components and structures can be included within a seating furniture. Given our existing knowledge, a Swedish context felt appropriate for our concept to fit into. This implied that the aesthetics and the ingoing materials of the concept were to be recognized and familiar within existing Swedish environments.
Thoughtful Construction The frame is made of plywood where a nesting pattern has been carefully planned to make use of almost all material. Plywood is used for its strength and quality, to ensure longevity of the frame. What would normally become offcuts have now been planned to be used as backrests, pieces to attach the backrest, frames to the smaller stool as well as frames for the double sided bench. The wooden slats as well as the backrest are all attached through Allen screws that allow for both disassembly and reassembly in case the product needs to be repaired. Only one type of screw is used throughout the entire product, which makes disassembly much easier. Furthermore, all fasteners are easily accessible without prior steps of disassembly, minimizing disassembly dependency, simplifying the process further. The slats could either be of virgin or reused material, and can consist of different types of wood depending on availability or consumer preferences. Their length is held relatively short to increase the possibilities of using wood from waste or discarded furniture, and thus encourages upcycling.
Modularity A modular product architecture facilitates cleaning and repairs, enables the product to be upgraded or transformed and makes it customizable for different needs and preferences. By breaking down the geometry into small, independent parts that can be assembled, disassembled, rearranged, repaired, upgraded and reassembled, designers can prolong the product life and enhance reuse possibilities. Standardized parts that are reoccurring in a product design allow modularity and make customization easier. Parts that are not unique to a single design, can further be produced in larger numbers. This lowers production costs, which also creates an economic incentive to include modularity and standardization in designs. In our project, we scaled the architecture of the product down to its essentials - a simple stool. From here, a backrest can be added to increase comfort, or several can be put together to create a bench or a sofa. This creates flexibility in the product and makes it customizable for the needs of customers.
Using Offcuts There are endless possibilities when working with offcuts, by preserving the original shape of the material and using simple manufacturing methods as much as possible. With offcuts, it’s also possible to create interesting perceptions and desirable expressions, like unity-in-variety.
medium offcuts small offcuts
long offcuts
For smaller offcuts, where most boutique manufacturing methods would be too time and energy consuming, an easy way to use them is as filling material. To capture the expression of sustainability, the small offcuts can be placed in mesh tubes, allowing the offcuts to be visible. Medium sized offcuts can be sewn together, creating fluffy textures and interesting patterns. By rolling, folding or scrunching the offcuts, different textures and aesthetics can be created. Longer offcuts can be braided, weaved or put together with macramĂŠ to make geometric or organic patterns. Mixing textures, colours, thicknesses and fabric types can create interesting pieces and attract attention. However, if the wooden pieces are very inconsistent, a simpler textile expression may be desirable. This can be done by only using one or a few different offcuts which creates high harmony. Also, by using few fabric types, the pieces can more easily be re-upcycled to create new pieces or fabrics.
Reflections The concept presented in this booklet is only one example of how a designer can work with upcycling related to seating furniture for public spaces. We have come to the conclusion that the possibilities within the field of upcycling are endless, as can be seen in the vast variety of sketches displayed here. However, there are also challenges associated with upcycling as an industrial business strategy. First, it must be economically beneficial to restore and reuse products, parts and materials. It is important that technology to restore products exists, and that sufficient profit margins can be achieved throughout the process. To a great extent, this can be done with thoughtful, proactive, design choices being made in the early phases of product development and by carefully making the most out of materials during production. Further, existing negative attitudes towards reused products or materials need to change. The designer plays an important role to affect perceptions of upcycled products. Through design, we can teach users that these products have equal quality compared to new ones, and highlight the sustainable values associated with upcycling. Environmental concern is growing rapidly, making upcycling more motivated than ever. Upcycling is not limited to one specific application, aesthetic or material. It is not closing any options, it is rather opening up endless possibilities, paving the way for more sustainable business solutions and greener products.
References More detailed information, and further reading, can be found in these three theses which this booklet is based upon: Proactive Design: Design Principles for Product and Part Upcycling, Thorsson Mendoza, C. & Rapp J., 2020, ISRN: LIU-IEI-TEK-G--20/01752—SE Upcycling Methods for Pre-Consumer Textile Offcuts: How to Reduce, Use and Add Value to Textile Waste, Abdirashid, F. & Andersson Lidforss, L., 2020, ISRN: LIU-IEI-TEK-G--20/01727—SE Perceived Quality in Upcycled Products: How Design Can Enhance User Perceptions. Ring, L. & Rubensson, J., 2020, ISRN: LIU-IEI-TEK-G--20/01795—SE