WHY UPCYCLE INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT

Upcycle is a nice term used for the process of reselling used items. Some 5 years ago the loose term of "recycle" was used for people who sold their used things.

Industry professionals in Singapore are termed as "Karlang Guni man" giving the sentiment of what we say in english "Rag and Bone Man".

The simple difference between upcycle and recycle is that the term "recycle" has become associated to total meltdown or shredding and the complete reprocess of materials like paper, metal and plastics.

Upcycle embraces a few behavior:

1. The acceptance of a product as it is. Lets say you buy a used shirt for wearing and it has a hole. You accepted the hole and you are prepared to make do with this hole. Perhape you might want to modify the shirt into something else.

2. You look at the product in retrospect. Say you acquired an old radio. You would read up about it about the country of make, what the product is deficient in and perhaps the technology of it's time. You will find the beauty of what the maker tried to achieve. Perhaps understand how they made the best of a limitation.

3. You get insights and develop a cross discipline. If I wasnt schooled in electronics but read up on an old radio that I acquired, I would inevitably be introduced to the world of electrical knowhow. This is because I wanted to know how I could make it better by finding information about the product. This will introduce you to a different field of discipline.

4. You will begin to appreciate workmanship. If you took apart an old kimono, you would realise how the whole apparel was formed by the limitation of the width of the cloth panel. You will begin to notice old kimonos that are hand stitched an how even hand stitching can still give perfection by the way the seams are detailed.

 http://seattletacomakimonoclub.blogspot.sg/2012/06/so-you-want-to-make-kimono.html

5. You make valuation. Be it buying or selling you require to judge what the sale value should be. You begin to arm yourself with market value and what constitute to this market value from background information of its construction and specifications.

6. You try to repair. Older product seems more repairable, customizable as stockist of spare parts new or used are available. Newer product can be repaired too but you require more technological know how. Say for example electronic equipment from 10 years ago use discrete resistors and capacitors while today's electronic component use flat capacitors. They are smaller and harder to install or remove. The process of repair gives you better insights and confidence that you can repair just about anything.

 

Discrete Resistors and Capacitors

very minute flat resistors

7. You begin to hack things.

8. You begin to make things. Having experience numerous products that you have to value , repair and hack, will inspire you to make new things. Making things help you to understand production line process. Quality control and workmanship.

9. You cannibalize parts to reform something else workable.

10. You export. When you sell you things to people who are not local but in a local vicinity, you somewhat export this product you are selling. If your product finds favour with the internet community, there is a chance to sell your product as an export.

For a country like Singapore that barely makes things, the public is largely impaired with the notion of being a manufacturer. This pushes Singaporeans to focus on trading and broking product but the lack of knowledge of manufacturing process. The marketing of the product hence, lack expert knowledge of what the product can really do.

With the internet becoming the middleman the job of the broker is fast becoming redundant. A place like Singapore should then manufacture. This is why upcycle is important.