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Introduction: State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice

Sung, Kyungeun ; Singh, Jagdeep LU orcid ; Bridgens, Ben and Cooper, Tim (2021) In LectureNotes in Production Engineering (LNPE) p.1-6
Abstract
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... (More)
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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Upcycling, State of the art, Circular economy, Resource recovery, resource management, sustainability, Waste management, Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), SDGs
host publication
State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice : Lecture Notes in Production Engineering - Lecture Notes in Production Engineering
series title
LectureNotes in Production Engineering (LNPE)
editor
Sung, K. ; Singh, J. and Bridgens, B.
pages
1 - 6
publisher
Springer International Publishing
ISSN
2194-0533
2194-0525
ISBN
978-3-030-72639-3
978-3-030-72640-9
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-72640-9_1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
607c3fff-523a-4e47-8e47-f89f1a0b539c
date added to LUP
2022-07-13 10:49:46
date last changed
2023-05-10 09:37:54
@inbook{607c3fff-523a-4e47-8e47-f89f1a0b539c,
  abstract     = {{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.}},
  author       = {{Sung, Kyungeun and Singh, Jagdeep and Bridgens, Ben and Cooper, Tim}},
  booktitle    = {{State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice : Lecture Notes in Production Engineering}},
  editor       = {{Sung, K. and Singh, J. and Bridgens, B.}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-030-72639-3}},
  issn         = {{2194-0533}},
  keywords     = {{Upcycling; State of the art; Circular economy; Resource recovery; resource management; sustainability; Waste management; Causal Loop Diagram (CLD); SDGs}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  pages        = {{1--6}},
  publisher    = {{Springer International Publishing}},
  series       = {{LectureNotes in Production Engineering (LNPE)}},
  title        = {{Introduction: State-of-the-Art Upcycling Research and Practice}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72640-9_1}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/978-3-030-72640-9_1}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}