Browsing by Author "Singh, Jagdeep"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Challenges and opportunities for scaling up upcycling businesses – The case of textile and wood upcycling businesses in the UK
    (Elsevier, 2019-08-27) Singh, Jagdeep; Sung, Kyungeun; Cooper, Tim; West, Katherine; Mont, Oksana
    Upcycling is a process in which used or waste products and materials are repaired, reused, repurposed, refurbished, upgraded and remanufactured in a creative way to add value to the compositional elements. It has been part of human life throughout history, and the past few years have seen its revival, driven by multiple factors including growing concern for the environment and resource scarcity. Upcycling increases quality and lifetimes of materials and products, reduces wastes, creates employment opportunities, and encourages sustainable consumer behaviour. Despite such benefits and increasing interest, upcycling is largely considered as a niche practice. One of the important gaps in the current state of knowledge on upcycling is a lack of systemic understanding about challenges and success factors relating to scaling up upcycling businesses. This paper aims to address this gap by employing a broad range of methods for reaching its goal, including literature review, stakeholder analysis, semi-structured interviews, group model building, development of causal loop diagrams, and a workshop with stakeholders and experts to validate causal loop diagrams and discuss promising interventions and how to proceed. The results identified potential actors for the success of upcycling businesses, key challenges and success factors, causal linkages among the challenges and success factors, key system mechanisms, and interventions for scaling up upcycling businesses. Collaboration across the upcycling value chain involving a wide range of actors is also discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Challenges and support for scaling up upcycling businesses in the UK: Insights from small-business entrepreneurs
    (IOS Press, 2017-11-01) Sung, Kyungeun; Cooper, Tim; Ramanathan, Usha; Singh, Jagdeep
    Upcycling is the creation or modification of a product from used materials, components and products which is of equal or higher quality or value than the compositional elements. Within the context of increased product longevity, it enables a reduction in the use of raw materials by extending the lifetime of used materials, components and products, thereby increasing material efficiency and reducing industrial energy consumption. If scaled up to a considerable level through appropriate interventions, upcycling could, in theory, contribute significantly to preventing environmental harm. In particular, upcycling-based businesses have been identified as one of sustainable alternatives to prevailing business models that are based on unrestrained access to virgin materials, in contrast with the circular economy. Previous research regarding upcycling has focused mostly on fashion and textiles and highlighted the potential of upcycling businesses, providing sector-specific suggestions for expansion beyond their currently niche status. There is a critical knowledge gap concerning ways of achieving the full potential of upcycling-based businesses across the whole economy. This paper therefore provides results from a study on the challenges that upcycling entrepreneurs face when attempting to scale up and how to overcome them, based on an exploratory workshop with 12 British upcycling entrepreneurs. It identifies the key challenges faced by upcycling businesses and presents a mapping of the systemic support required for overcoming them, with potential actors.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemEmbargo
    Introduction: State-of-the-art upcycling research and practice
    (Springer, 2021-07-15) Sung, Kyungeun; Singh, Jagdeep; Bridgens, Ben; Cooper, Tim
    Mass production and consumption based on virgin materials have been the mainstream practice for decades across industrialised nations. Resource consumption has reached an unsustainable level, leading to devastating environmental impacts. For a more sustainable future, not only environmentally but economically and socially, material cycles need to be slowed down and, if possible, closed. Upcycling presents a promising alternative to mass production and consumption based on the use of virgin materials, in order to slow material cycles. There has been a growing academic and industrial interest in upcycling, particularly related to the emerging circular economy. Research in upcycling, however, is still in its infancy. Development of upcycling theory and practices is required if there is to be a transition in upcycling from niche to mainstream. As part of our efforts to develop upcycling theories and practices, we organised the first International Upcycling Symposium and called for contributions by international academics, practitioners and other relevant actors working on upcycling. In response, we received a wide range of papers in the field of upcycling across disciplines, sectors, industries, countries and regions. This chapter provides a brief summary of each contribution showing the state of the art in upcycling research and practice at the global scale which provides fundamental understanding of upcycling with varied definitions and forms across sectors and scales, and informs readers of valuable ideas, theories, projects, experiences and insights into upcycling by global experts.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemEmbargo
    Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives on Scaling up UK Fashion Upcycling Businesses
    (Taylor and Francis, 2020-04-21) Sung, Kyungeun; Cooper, Tim; Oehlmann, Johanna; Singh, Jagdeep; Mont, Oksana
    Fashion upcycling, the process of using waste clothing and textiles to create new products, is an alternative to business-as-usual practices which can effectively address concerns on excessive consumption of energy and material resources and use of chemicals in the fashion industry. Scaling up fashion upcycling businesses could enable the transition of the fashion industry towards sustainability. Past studies in fashion upcycling have paid attention to limited aspects of the businesses, and comprehensive synthesis of viewpoints from diverse stakeholders involved in the business is lacking. This paper provides such a synthesis, focusing on the challenges and success factors for expanding (or scaling up) UK fashion upcycling businesses. Twenty three stakeholders in the UK were interviewed. Four different perspectives (by material suppliers, upcyclers, retailers and consumers) on challenges and success factors for scaling up fashion upcycling businesses in the UK as well as suitable actors to take actions for positive change were identified. Common challenges and success factors across stakeholders were highlighted. The paper further discusses theoretical and practical implications of the study.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Multi-stakeholder perspectives on the challenges and success factors for scaling up upcycling businesses in fashion industry in the UK
    (Grafima Publications, 2017-10-01) Sung, Kyungeun; Cooper, Tim; Painter-Morland, Mollie; Oxborrow, Lynn; Ramanathan, Usha; Singh, Jagdeep
    The fashion industry causes serious environmental impacts through its consumption of energy and material resources and its use of chemicals. Alternatives to business-as-usual practices within the fashion industry can effectively address such concerns but will need to involve various actors and operate across a range of scales. Upcycling, the process of deconstructing waste clothing and textiles and reconstructing them into new products represents an alternative that, in theory, reduces waste and increases resource efficiency by extending the lifetimes of products and materials, thereby contributing to reducing industrial energy consumption. Upcycling businesses have the potential to be financially sustainable and can create jobs for disadvantaged people. Despite potential economic, environmental and social benefits, upcycling remains a niche practice. A process of ‘scaling up’, whereby an initially unusual practice becomes mainstream [8], is necessary in the case of upcycling to enable the transition of the fashion industry towards sustainability. Previous research in fashion upcycling includes a description of the concept and process, reflection on the practice, design guidelines and an exploration of consumers’ purchase intentions. Past studies have paid attention to limited aspects of fashion upcycling businesses and a comprehensive synthesis of viewpoints from the diverse stakeholders involved in the business is lacking. This paper aims to provide such a synthesis, focusing on the challenges and success factors for expanding (or scaling up) British upcycling businesses in fashion industry. Based on ongoing research, it uses semi-structured interviews with seven stakeholder groups in fashion upcycling (design entrepreneurs, in-house designers/ makers, suppliers, distributors, retail salespersons, business managers and consumers). The results show the perceived common challenges and success factors for upscaling fashion upcycling businesses in the UK across roles, and identifies unique role-specific perspectives. The paper concludes with causal loop diagrams linking different system variables (i.e. challenges, success factors, measures of business success) in fashion upcycling businesses.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Scaling up British fashion upcycling businesses: Multi-stakeholder perspectives
    (Global Fashion Conference 2018, 2018-12-31) Sung, Kyungeun; Cooper, Tim; Oehlmann, J.; Singh, Jagdeep
    Purpose: Fashion upcycling, the process of using waste clothing and textiles to create new products, is an alternative to business-as-usual practices which can effectively address concerns on excessive consumption of energy and material resources and use of chemicals in the fashion industry. Scaling up fashion upcycling businesses could enable the transition of the fashion industry towards sustainability. Past studies in fashion upcycling have paid attention to limited aspects of the businesses and comprehensive synthesis of viewpoints from diverse stakeholders involved in the business is lacking. This paper therefore aims to provide such a synthesis, focusing on the challenges and success factors for expanding (or scaling up) British upcycling businesses in fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach: This study used semi-structured interviews with 23 stakeholders of British fashion upcycling businesses (small- and medium-sized): 7 consumers and 16 practitioners including material suppliers, upcycling designers and makers, and retailers. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed by thematic analysis with QSR NVivo 10 software. Findings: Four different perspectives (by material suppliers, upcyclers, retailers and consumers) on challenges and success factors for scaling up upcycling businesses in the UK as well as suitable actors to take actions for positive change were identified. Common challenges and success factors across stakeholders were highlighted. Originality/value: The paper partially corroborated previous research and provided new information on perceived challenges and success factors for scaling up by extended stakeholders. The findings could be useful to interested direct and indirect stakeholders for their actions towards sustainability.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemEmbargo
    State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice: Proceedings of the International Upcycling Symposium 2020
    (Springer, 2021-07-01) Sung, Kyungeun; Singh, Jagdeep; Bridgens, Ben
    This book is the result of the first International Upcycling Symposium which was virtually held by De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, UK, on 4 September 2020 as a joint effort between DMU, Lund University, Nottingham Trent University and Newcastle University. The symposium involved academic researchers and practitioners working on upcycling in the widest sense, from art and craft, to business, design, education, engineering, environment, fashion and textiles, social science and technology. The participants contributed to enhancing our understanding of upcycling as a design, production or consumption practice in different geographical, economic, sociocultural and technological contexts. The contributors came from nine countries of five continents, making this symposium truly international and representing a wide variety of current research and practices in this field at the global level. This book documents and promotes the latest theories, approaches, scientific research findings and practices on upcycling in the world. The book provides readers with varied definitions and forms of upcycling aswell as diverse ideas, projects, experiences and insights on upcycling across sectors and scales with different contexts. The chapters in this book have been organised around three themes which emerged from submissions for the symposium. These are (i) design, engineering and the upcycled, (ii) upcycling in fashion, textiles and education and (iii) upcycling concepts and practices. Together these chapters cover a wide range of topics such as objectoriented upcycling, systemic design for upcycling packaging, upcycling of silicon solar cells, the role of design in upcycling research, social semiotic perspectives on upcycled artefacts, the interplay of user, context and product in everyday upcycling, upcycling in the informal economy, links between upcycling, ‘jugaad’ (traditional Indian approach to flexible and innovative problem-solving with limited resources) and repair cafes, material inventories for upcycling design, upcycling in post-growth fashion, second-hand Western fashion items in non-Western contexts, future pathways of upcycled textiles, community-scale upcycling, scaling-up of upcycling, design-led fashion upcycling, upcycling in fashion education, systems approaches to scaling-up global upcycling, upcycling as a form of repair, understanding value and quality in upcycled products, positive upcycling experiences for people’s well-being and different upcycling practices and reflections as practitioners.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemEmbargo
    Systems approach to scaling up global upcycling: Framework for empirical research
    (Springer, 2021-07-15) Singh, Jagdeep; Sung, Kyungeun
    Global urbanisation, increasing population, economic growth and development have caused increase in resource consumption, and consequently, a vast volume of waste and other negative environmental impacts. In order to reduce negative environmental impact, various approaches to resource management have been suggested and implemented in the system of production, consumption and waste management. One promising approach is upcycling, the creation or modification of a product from used or waste materials, components and products for equal or higher quality or value than the compositional elements. This chapter proposes a systems approach to scaling-up global upcycling through systems innovation in the critical factors in the upcycling value chain.