With a modern focus on sustainability mixed with the wartime proverb of “make do and mend”, upcycling has become a trendy pastime and business venture for many. From artisan entrepreneurs to larger businesses with Corporate Social Responsibility in mind, upcycling can have a positive effect on our views on waste.
Founded in 2021, The Upcycling Market aims to support the UK’s transition to a circular economy by curating a collection of upcycled alternatives from small local businesses in a single place online, making truly sustainable shopping easier than ever. The Upcycling Market was founded with the mission to empower regular people to divert waste from landfills with every single purchase they make, celebrating mindful, sustainable consumption.
The Upcycling Market recently announced the launch of its site, a new online marketplace for purposeful and aesthetic upcycled goods made by small British & Irish brands. Featuring products that design with waste at scale to empower a circular economy, The Upcycling Market offers a convenient way for eco-curious and eco-conscious shoppers alike to discover truly sustainable local brands amidst a sea of high street greenwashing.
“We founded The Upcycling Market to make participating in the circular economy as easy and affordable as shopping on the high street, and to bring upcycling into the public discussion” says Jordan Borg, Co-Founder. “We see lots of people trying to make more sustainable choices, but being misled by high street brands making questionable sustainability promises” adds Antonio Prezzavento, Co-Founder.
Features and benefits of The Upcycling Market include:
- A curated collection of purposeful and aesthetic upcycled products made in Europe, minimising the long supply chains typically employed by high street retailers.
- Local brands for local customers—an exclusive shopping experience for UK customers, boosting our local economy and reducing shipping emissions.
- All products and brands on the site have been measured against a robust internal standard to ensure key circularity and sustainability criteria are met, in addition to incorporating upcycled materials.
- Providing a dedicated platform to the growing number of independent, local, and circular brands.
The launch of this type of business to an online marketplace can make upcycled furniture more accessible to many businesses and individuals wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. With this site being the first of its kind, The Upcycle Market has the opportunity to lead the way for other similar businesses. While ecommerce sites may be a way to market the products, marketing the concept of sustainability seems to be wholly new in this regard. The effects of a site such as The Upcycling Market may well determine the growth of the online sustainability sector, and perhaps the environment at large by reducing waste and energy consumed to make new products.
