What is Upcycling?
The concept of upcycling often brings to mind creative repurposing of items such as clothing and furniture. In fact, upcycling extends far beyond these use cases. Today, companies like Kingspan are integrating upcycling into manufacturing processes and zero waste to landfill programs to improve circularity and reduce our carbon footprint.
While most people are familiar with recycling, upcycling is less understood and there is sometimes confusion about how upcycling differs from recycling.
Recycling is the process of breaking down products into a base material to make new products. Upcycling does not involve breaking down a product into its base materials, but instead preserves the value of original materials, repurposing them to make a new product with more value. Put more simply, upcycling transforms waste material into a new and better product.
Both upcycling and recycling are sustainable practices that help companies divert waste from landfills, reduce the use of raw materials and contribute to a circular economy.
Upcycling in action
At Kingspan, upcycling plays a critical role in the drive to be Planet Passionate in our operations, helping us advance toward zero waste to landfill. Two examples of the ways we are upcycling include:
· Upcycling PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles into insulation core
At our Modesto, California facility we are using a proprietary formulation that uses recycled PET bottles as part of its raw materials in the production of Kingspan QuadCore® insulation to help prevent these bottles from ending up in a landfill or in the ocean. Upcycling this waste into new products is critical for the health of the planet. That’s because nearly 70 million tons of PET are produced per year worldwide (making it the most abundant polyester plastic), plastics including PET are difficult to degrade and ten million tons of PET waste are discharged into the ocean each year.
· Establishing partnerships to upcycle waste from manufacturing operations
At our DeLand, Florida plant, a partnership with Atlanta-based Belter Tech allows PIR (Polyisocyanurate) foam waste to be upcycled into a variety of products. As a result of this partnership, foam scrap that was destined for the landfill is instead given new life as cement fill, ceiling tiles and panel products.
Integrating upcycling practices like these into manufacturing processes and zero waste to landfill initiatives is helping Kingspan conserve natural resources, transition to a circular economy and become a better steward of our planet.