Why Upcycling Is so Important

What is upcycling?

Upcycling. You’ve heard that word around, right? But what does it actually mean? Here’s a quick definition. Upcycling is the process of giving old or used materials a second life. When you upcycle, the used material can either be re-used in the same manner, or it can be re-adapted or repurposed. 

Here are examples of each type of upcycling: instead of getting rid of one of your grandmother’s old chairs, you could sand it down and paint it to fit your home’s aesthetic. Or you could cut up some of your favorite old t-shirts that you’ve outgrown, and make them into a blanket.  

What is the difference between upcycling and recycling?

You might be wondering what the difference between recycling and upcycling is. Good question! Recycling requires you to send materials marked as recyclable to a recycling center to be broken down. Once they’re broken down, they can be reused to make a similar product. 

And that’s the downside of recycling: it requires a lot of energy. Breaking down materials usually requires burning fossil fuels, which gives off greenhouse gases and contributes to global warming. Upcycling doesn’t require burning any fossil fuels. It just takes creativity and time.

Unlike recycling, you can upcycle almost anything. You don't need to send them away, and they don’t need to be marked. All you need is some creativity to see the usefulness of something other people might toss in the trash. 

Why do we upcycle?

It’s better for the environment

That’s right! Upcycling is better for the environment than sending something to a landfill or even recycling it. Not only does upcycling take away from the amount of trash sitting in landfills, it also cuts down the number of fossil fuels burned as trash trucks and garbage machines transport and process the refuse. 

When you upcycle materials, you’re not creating so much trash, which lessens your carbon footprint. But you also don’t need to buy as much stuff. Think about this: imagine if everyone on earth reused their plastic water bottles at least once before throwing them away. That would mean millions and millions of plastic water bottles would not pile up in landfills. People wouldn’t need to buy as many bottles of water because they would be refilling them at home. As a result, manufacturers of bottled water could scale down their production, decreasing the amount of carbon their factories pump into the atmosphere. Upcycling can make a huge difference!

It increases value

That might seem strange. Upcycling actually increases an item’s value? Yes! It increases the monetary and sentimental value of an item. Here’s how.

Let’s say you have an old sofa, passed down from your grandparents. It has strong bones, but the fabric has a few holes. It’s worn out, and the cushioning is uneven. We see this all the time.

The piece of furniture has value for a few reasons. It’s rare. In 1950-something when your grandparents bought it, it wasn’t rare. But today, it’s rare. The style is classic. It’s well-made—maybe even handmade—because the furniture was constructed better back then. This adds to its value.

But it also has more historical and sentimental value. Think about it. This sofa belonged to your grandparents decades before you ever met them. It’s full of memories. But it’s also full of historical value. Think of all it’s seen through the years. No piece of furniture manufactured today has the special qualities this sofa has. You can’t create that kind of value. 

Why is it important? 

For these reasons and more, we believe in and practice upcycling. Our upcycle artisans are skilled craftspeople. They take your preloved furnishings and repurpose them into valuable, custom furniture that you can continue to use for generations. 

And the great thing about VNTG is that we can reupholster and restore your furniture or ours. We have a 65,000 square foot warehouse, full of wonderful home furnishings, just waiting for you to discover them.