What is upcycling? Upcycling is the concept of taking old products and using them for new purposes, or as materials in entirely new products. This is in contrast to recycling, which is the process of breaking down and reusing the base materials. A...
The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the world. Each year, companies waste a staggering amount of textile to increase profits and sales. Although nearly 100% of textiles are recyclable, nearly 95% of reusable textile is...
FROMSTOCK is an upcycled fashion brand that was recently launched in February. They carry their products at pop-up stores such as SCRAPBOOK (JEANASIS) and HARE. However, as of last month, customers can now purchase their products online. The team at...
Imabari City in Ehime Prefeture is known to be one of Japan’s leading shipbuilding towns in the Setouchi region, facing the Seto Inland Sea. The city prides in building beautiful ships that travel the world, but shipbuilding has its drawbacks: tens...
CMYK is an experimental creative group organized by All Japan Federation of Printing Industry Associations. It runs a project called ‘Oogiri Insatsu’ (Insatsu is a Japanese word for print), which is a unique initiative to create playful products...
Artist Yukito Nishinaka has created a glass version of the traditional Japanese rock garden using recycled bottles, which is now permanently installed at Kyoto’s Honen-in Temple. The work is intended as a statement for sustainability via the reuse...
Japan is seeing an uptick in the number of products manufactured utilizing old or thrown away material. The range of material used to create high quality products aims to not only decrease the amount of waste. It also creates something of high...
Enkara, a web media company dedicated to the well-being of dogs, has launched a project to upcycle used childrenswear into dogwear. Collected kids’ clothes are cut into small pieces, and sewn together to create colorful dogwear. The company...
Schools are closed, businesses are suspended and people are advised to stay at home as prevention from the coronavirus pandemic. Japan is no exception. These extreme measures have affected multiple industries, not limited to manufacturing, retail...
How do you plan to keep your bridal bouquet after the big day? Typical ways to preserve them include pressing, freeze drying, air drying or using epoxy resin to make a silicone mold. Preserving bridal bouquets in good condition is important for any...