Reduce, reuse, upcycle! Read about upcycling (the latest in sustainability), how you can work upcycled fashion into your wardrobe and why you need the upcycled ReefCycle sunglasses from WWF-Australia & Arise Collective.
What is upcycling ?
Upcycling is all about reusing things to create a product of even greater value. So old, unused materials or items get repurposed into something better than before. It’s a little like recycling, because you take old materials and make them into new products.
Upcycling vs Recycling:
Recycling is transforming a used product into a new version of the same thing. For example, recycling junk mail into paper to use for printing. Recycling can happen over and over again until the material is no longer usable.
However, upcycling is about using different products to make something new and even better. For example, upcycling clothes into shopping bags!
5 fun facts about upcycling: aka why should you upcycle?
- Reduce waste. Roughly 35% of materials in the supply chain end up as waste according to the Global Fashion Agenda and the Boston Consulting Group
- Reduce your environmental footprint. According to the Global Fashion Agenda and the Boston Consulting Group, only 20% of the world’s clothing is collected for reuse or recycling.
- Create one-of-a-kind products. Upcycle things yourself or buy them from companies who create things from upcycled materials.
- Upcycling can save you money! When you upcycle something yourself you can actually save money.
- Encourage businesses to continue to upcycle and adopt sustainable fashion measures.
Upcycling fashion
Upcycling in fashion and creating ethical, sustainable clothing is on the rise! Younger generations lead the charge in demanding environmental first initiatives from brands. So, we can expect to see more recycled fashion in the future. Some famous brands adopting these measures in the fashion space include:
- Patagonia:The outdoor clothing brand leads the sustainable fashion world. They started using recycled plastic bottles to make their clothing from 1993!
- Urban Outfitters: They revamp unused materials that typically end up in landfill into unique clothing pieces.
- WWF-Australia x Arise Collective: The conservation organisation and eyewear brand joined forces to create upcycled sunglasses- ReefCycle. They upcycled old fishing nets from the Great Barrier Reef and cut, melted and moulded them into sustainable sunglasses. You can discover more about ReefCycle here now.
Why you need WWF-Australia x Arise Collective ReefCycle upcycled sunglasses:
- Help protect over 98,000 marine animals: It’s estimated that over 98,000 marine animals are caught by commercial gill nets on Queensland’s east coast every year. Buying a pair of ReefCycle keeps commercial gill nets out of our oceans.
- Continue to remove harmful plastics from our oceans: The more sunglasses that are sold, the more proceeds will go towards funding WWF-Australia conservation work, like advocacy for a Net-Free North.
- Unique design: Each pair of ReefCycle sunnies features a super cute illustration of one of the marine animals you’re helping to protect on the inner glasses temple.
- Full choice of lens options: Choose between non-prescription and prescription lenses as well as polarized or non-polarized. Plus, select from a range of colours including black, brown or green tinted lenses.
Things to upcycle:
Lots of fashion brands are creating upcycled products, but there’s no reason you can’t join in the action too. Like a DIY project? You can upcycle things yourself! The limits are endless really but here are some popular upcycled ideas:
- Upcycled furniture: Do you have vintage furniture that’s a little broken lying around? This is perfect for re-purposing into something better than before.
- Upcycled clothing: You can take old clothes and cut and sew into shopping bags, curtains, storage holders in your kitchen.
- Reusing plastic bottles or old jars to create flower vases or light installations with them
- Old denim can be cut up and sewn into a shopping bag or fabric case for the kitchen
- Empty wine bottles can be cut up and made into light holders
- Old cans can be re-purposed into containers for pens
Take your first foray into this sustainable measure with the upcycled WWF-Australia x Arise Collective ReefCycle glasses. Unique, innovative and environmentally-focused, you’re sure to stand out in a pair of these sunnies. Shop them here or try them on before you buy them with the Virtual Try-On tool now.
