Source : Green Report. \”UPCYCLING în România\” [Translated excerpt from serial series]. Published May 12, 2016
\”While the upcycling movement in Romania is at the beginning of its journey, entrepreneurs in Germany, Switzerland, or the UK already have decades of experience in reclaiming waste. Let’s \”listen\” to them and learn how to achieve business success, even though it isn\’t easy for them either.
In previous episodes, we learned how the Romanian upcycling initiatives Reciclare Creativă, Upside Down, remesh, Turific, Wood be nice, QUIB, Tubatect, PinkLime, and PIMP the GARBAGE were born.
In this episode of the Green Report series \”UPCYCLING in Romania,\” we will learn from the initiators of Upcycling Deluxe, Bolsos Berlin, and El Reinventor what success means in an upcycling business. Then, we will analyze the Freitag and Upcyclist websites to see how such initiatives can be promoted effectively.
Berlin: The Paradise of Upcycling Projects
On a recent visit to Berlin, I visited several workshops and shops selling products made from waste. Upcycling Deluxe was the largest of these. There, I met Stefan Korn, head of the PR and marketing departments. He told me how it all began.
It seems a visit to Southeast Asia was the source of inspiration for founding the store for recycled products. The founders, Stanislaus Teichmann and Eric Pieper, were impressed by how women used their creativity, transforming cement bags into shopping nets and tires into trash cans. They thought they could help them sell the products, and so Upcycling Deluxe was born.
Initially, they tested a few products at a weekly fair organized in Berlin. Since demand was high, they decided to open a shop. They started by selling the products of 3 or 4 NGOs, and now they collaborate with over 50 designers and artisans worldwide, offering around 1,500 products. Additionally, they have their own collection of caps, bags, and accessories. We could call Upcycling Deluxe the \”big brother\” of the Reciclare Creativă project.
Similarly, Britta Eppinger would be somewhat the Berlin correspondent for the likes of Upside Down, remesh, and Turific. Britta founded Bolsos Berlin 7 years ago. Although she studied arts and sculpture, she has dedicated much of her career to upcycling. She works with banners, sails, inner tubes, flags, awnings, and surfboards, which she transforms into bags, backpacks, briefcases, wallets, and folders.
Since she has no employees, the business has developed slowly. However, it is the only way Britta conceives of working:
\”If I exploit myself, it\’s my choice, but I don\’t want to do that to others. I prefer to grow slowly and stay sustainable, without having slaves doing my work. Plus, I like to wake up and not have to come to the workshop at 7 AM to see if employees are working. I like being my own boss and that\’s it.\”
When she has many orders, however, she collaborates with NGOs that employ people with disabilities.
Did you think Wood be nice and other furniture manufacturers had nowhere to find inspiration? Their international version is staged by Daniel Carrion. A Colombian based in Berlin, Daniel started making jewelry from old silver or worn knives while pursuing a master\’s degree in finance in London. Gradually, he also began making furniture pieces, always thinking about other waste that could be utilized. Now, his workshop, El Reinventor, houses both the tools necessary for a craftsman and artistic creations worthy of famous contemporary exhibitions.
Daniel speaks with passion about many of his products, but he is particularly proud of a lamp made from 5 musical instruments, a telescope, and a tripod. The rocking chair made from oil barrels also receives special attention during the workshop tour.
Upcycling in Switzerland and the UK
Although I haven\’t traveled there yet, I have heard of two other initiatives from which Romanian entrepreneurs could learn: Freitag and Upcyclist.
The story of the Freitag brothers began in 1993. They needed a messenger bag to use when they rode their bikes. It had to be waterproof and functional. So, they decided to make it themselves. Inspired by the bright colors of the trucks passing in front of their Zurich apartment, they used a tarp as material. They combined it with a used seatbelt and an old bicycle inner tube, transforming it into a product that would inspire a business.
Today, the two have 55 models of bags and accessories, 160 employees, and 460 shops. Although their headquarters remain in Switzerland, they are present in Berlin, Davos, Hamburg, Cologne, Vienna, Tokyo, Zurich, and Lausanne. And the way they communicate is truly impressive.
Another example of a promotion method for upcycling projects is offered by those at Upcyclist. In 2011, Antonia Edwards, a journalist specializing in interior design, established a platform for promoting products obtained from waste. Her motivation was simple:
\”To be able to create something beautiful and elegant from waste, you need imagination, innovation, and talent. I felt that people who were doing this successfully needed a platform to showcase their work.\”
Antonia promotes projects from around the world, so it can be a good promotional channel for Romanian designers who want to expand to a European or even international level.
Now that we have learned how the initiatives Reciclare Creativă, Upside Down, remesh, Turific, Wood be nice, QUIB, Tubatect, PinkLime, PIMP the GARBAGE, Upcycling Deluxe, Bolsos Berlin, El Reinventor, Freitag, and Upcyclist were born, we propose to find out further from them how they procure and manage their materials, how they manage to sell their products, and what they want to achieve through their projects.\”