The slides were used for the presentation in Sustainable Innovation Conference (Copenhagen) in November, 2014. The presentation summarises the paper, "Individual upcycling practice: Exploring the possible determinants of upcycling based on a literature review".

1. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Kyungeun Sung
Supervised by: Tim Cooper and Sarah Kettley
UK INDEMAND, Sustainable Consumption Research Group
School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Individual Upcycling Practice:
Exploring the Possible Determinants of Upcycling
Based on a Literature Review

2. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Table of contents
 Introduction
 Method and theoretical framework
 Results
 Discussions and conclusion

3. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Introduction

4. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
 The Oxford Dictionary (2014): “reuse (of discarded objects or material) in such a way as to
create a product of higher quality or value than the original”
 The Dictionary of Sustainable Management (2014): “the process of converting an industrial
nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value in its second life”
 Product/object level individual upcycling: “creation or creative
modification of any product out of used materials (e.g. second-
hand products and waste materials) in an attempt to result in a
higher quality or value product than the compositional
elements”
Definitions of upcycling

5. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Trend in industrial upcycling
Promoted and practiced:
 By entrepreneurs as part of waste management
strategy and towards sustainable production (Szaky, 2014)

6. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Trend in individual upcycling
Promoted and practiced:
 By individuals as a lifestyle of reduction and towards
sustainable consumption (Frank, 2013)

7. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Trend in individual upcycling
 An increase in the overall number of
practitioners aided by physical and digital
resources

8. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Trend in individual upcycling
 Hack/Makerspaces in the USA and the UK:
central place for emerging practitioners
 SME entrepreneurs, artists, hobbyist makers,
crafters, hackers, tinkerers
 Get access to public workshop
 Utilize used materials
 Share skills and knowledge

9. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Research question
 Still marginal practice + Potential as a means towards waste prevention, and
sustainable production and consumption
 > the question to ask?
 How to scale up this marginal practice into a mainstream practice to make a
bigger impact on society and the environment?
 > generate effective strategies for change
 > require understanding what drives and facilitates upcycling (determinants)

10. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Method &
Theoretical framework

11. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Method
 Broad literature review in renaissance crafts, new ways of
DIY, and emerging Maker Movement
 Most relevant and contemporary
 as part of PhD literature review
 Synthesis on the basis of the framework of Triandis’ Theory
of Interpersonal behavior (Triandis, 1977)

12. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Triandis’ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (TIB)
 Inclusive nature of the theory: the most comprehensive social
psychological theory of behaviour and change (Jackson, 2005),
incorporating four factors suggested by Stern (2000) for an
integrated model of environmentally significant behavior (i.e.,
attitudes, contextual factors, personal capabilities, and habits)
 My behaviour is a function partly of what I intend, partly of my
habitual responses, and partly of the situational constraints
and conditions under which I operate (Jackson, 2005, p. 111)

13. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Modified TIB framework

14. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Results

15. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Attitudes: Perceived benefits
1. Economic: (1) fulfilling needs with less financial resources and (2) ‘long tail’
market opportunity (Szaky, 2014; Frank, 2013; Anderson, 2012; Lang, 2013)
2. Creativity: (1) production of something pleasing, useful, authentic, personal, (2)
self-expression as a mark on the world, and (3) simply being creative (Gauntlett,
2011; Frank, 2013; Parker, 2012; Soule, 2008; Levine & Heimerl, 2008)
3. Experience: (1) a meaningful journey and (2) learning experience (Frank, 2013; Lang,
2013; Gauntlett, 2011)
4. Empowerment: (1) self-reliance and (2) unlocking potential and becoming more
capable (Lang, 2013; Frank, 2013; Gauntlett, 2011; Turney, 2009; Parker, 2012)
5. A sense of a team/community (Lang, 2013; Gauntlett, 2011; Levine & Heimerl, 2008); 6. A way
to burn stress and relax (Frank, 2013; Gauntlett, 2011); 7. Clutter clear-out (Frank, 2013)

16. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Facilitating conditions
1. Physical workshops: (1) community workshops to share tools/equipment
and meet with others and (2) school workshops for future generations
(Anderson, 2012; Lang, 2013)
2. Internet: internet platforms as communities and marketplaces and for
learning materials (Gauntlett, 2011; Anderson, 2012; Lang, 2013)
3. Personal fabrication technology (Anderson, 2012; Lang, 2013)
4. Teachers, companions and collaborators (Lang, 2013)

17. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Affect/Emotions
1. Inherent pleasure in ‘making and doing’ – a sense of being ‘alive’;
and being a participant rather than a viewer (Gauntlett, 2011; Frank, 2013)
2. Sense of accomplishment and pride (Frank, 2013)
3. Happiness from goal-oriented activities and autonomy: goal-
oriented activities = a major contributor to happiness through
meta-analysis and comparative studies (Lyubomirsky, et al. 2005; Sheldon &
Lyubomirsky, 2009)

18. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Social factors
1. Environmental and social sustainability concerns (norms)
(Gauntlett, 2011; Szaky, 2014)
2. DIY spirit (self-concept) (Frank, 2013; Szaky, 2014; Grauntlett, 2011)
3. Maker mentality (self-concept): universal human nature?
(Lang, 2013; Anderson, 2012)

19. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Habits
1. AnnMarie Thomas carried out an extensive research into the
childhoods of famous inventors: great innovations/inventions
correlated with childhood making experiences (Lang, 2013)

20. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Discussions &
Conclusion

21. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Relative importance of attitudes and facilitating conditions?
 Attitude (perceived benefits) and facilitating conditions (mostly materials)
appear more frequently as drivers and facilitators than emotions, social
factors and habits
 More frequency ≈ relative importance?
 If so…

22. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Possibility for scaling-up strategies
 Effective service design for community workshops may be more successful
when focusing on the ways to reinforce the perceived benefits and facilitating
materials.
1. A design guide for upcycling with less time, efforts and money
2. Opportunities for semi-professional practitioners to generate income, linking with local businesses
3. Top tips to become micro sellers in Etsy, Folksy, etc.
4. A regular marketplace for bartering, lending, trading, renting, gifting and swapping materials
5. A matching system in which people can easily find suitable teachers, companions and collaborators
 If this is the best answer for successful scaling-up, convincing local authorities
to allow people to have sufficient access to such workshops may be a
prerequisite for improving the service.

23. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Research limitations
The example unlikely to be only or most effective way for successful scaling
up given the following research limitations
 Half of the cited literature from USA  not applicable to the UK
 Review at a preliminary stage  neither comprehensive nor conclusive
 Literature relies on personal experiences and opinions or limited
empirical evidence
 Literature not focus specifically on upcycling

24. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Suggestions for future research
 A more comprehensive literature review
 Empirical research
 Determining relative importance among identified UK-specific drivers and
facilitators
 Identifying and prioritizing barriers for non-practitioners
 Learning from best practice in other fields
 Strategizing

25. Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Thank you!
Any question?
Kyungeun.sung2013@my.ntu.ac.uk
http://kyungeunsung.com/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kyungeun_Sung