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UPCYCLING FOR REPURPOSING WASTE INTO CREATIVE PRODUCTS

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Abstract

Upcycling is the process of repurposing non-used materials or products to make them more valuable or usable, with increased quality and value. However, truly little research has been conducted on the design process and/or creative ideation of upcycling in order to produce higher-quality and more valuable products. This study presents the four stages of the design process, consisting of selecting the waste products, emerging conceptions, generating ideas, and rendering a series of creative ideas. SCAMPER (substitute, combine, adjust, modify, put to other uses, eliminate, reverse), one of the practical and effective techniques to create various creative ideas, was applied in the stages of emerging conceptions and generating ideas. With the upcycling concept of waste product design utilizing SCAMPER, the results demonstrated that waste soft drink cans could be converted into five creative products: a desk watch, a picture frame, a spring paper clip, a pencil holder, and a lamp. The five products featured the upcycling of waste soft drink cans, removing the need to recycle or send them to landfills at that point in their lifecycle. Consideration was given to the design process’ compatibility with creative concept generation and design. The study indicated that upcycling should be viewed as an essential component of waste management and repurposing in order to provide an intelligent answer to escalating product waste problems.
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Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
CREATIVITY STUDIES
ISSN: 2345-0479 / eISSN: 2345-0487
2024
Volume 17
Issue 1
Pages 192–206
https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2024.18128
UPCYCLING FOR REPURPOSING WASTE INTO CREATIVE PRODUCTS
Jong BOONPRACHA
1 , Panupong CHANPLIN2, Chutima NGAMPIPAT3, Nichanant SERMSRI4
1, 2, 3Department of Industrial Design and Packaging, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Suan Sunandha
Rajabhat University, Dusit, 10300 Bangkok, Thailand
4Department of Fashion and Lifestyle Product Design, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat
University, Dusit, 10300 Bangkok, Thailand
Article History: Abstract. Upcycling is the process of repurposing non-used materials or products to make
them more valuable or usable, with increased quality and value. However, truly little research
has been conducted on the design process and/or creative ideation of upcycling in order to
produce higher-quality and more valuable products. This study presents the four stages of the
design process, consisting of selecting the waste products, emerging conceptions, generating
ideas, and rendering a series of creative ideas. SCAMPER (substitute, combine, adjust, modify,
put to other uses, eliminate, reverse), one of the practical and eective techniques to create
various creative ideas, was applied in the stages of emerging conceptions and generating
ideas. With the upcycling concept of waste product design utilizing SCAMPER, the results
demonstrated that waste soft drink cans could be converted into ve creative products: a desk
watch, a picture frame, a spring paper clip, a pencil holder, and a lamp. The ve products
featured the upcycling of waste soft drink cans, removing the need to recycle or send them
to landlls at that point in their lifecycle. Consideration was given to the design process’
compatibility with creative concept generation and design. The study indicated that upcycling
should be viewed as an essential component of waste management and repurposing in order
to provide an intelligent answer to escalating product waste problems.
received 21 November 2022
accepted 31 July 2023
Keywords: creative products, creative design, repurpose, SCAMPER, upcycling, waste products.
    Corresponding author. E-mail: jong.bo@ssru.ac.th
1. Introduction
It was hard to deal with the waste in a pleasant way (Moscato et al., 2020). In particular,
uncontrolled waste disposal, the release of toxic substances, and the illegal burning of waste
all lead to a high number of health problems, such as cancer deaths and birth defects, and
a less-than-satisfactory quality of life in general (Alaanuloluwa Ikhuoso, 2018). One solution
could be to oer ways to get rid of trash other than putting it in a landll or burning it. In
upcycling, waste materials could be used for something else, as long as they t with their
nature and structure. This would be easier to do if the process also gave something extra,
like designing products that look great and are in style. In fact, the market tends to think of
things made from waste or upcycling materials as having a “corrupted” image. Design can
respond to this idea by coming up with new ideas and ways of looking at things through
new objects and products (Svihla & Kachelmeier, 2020). This could convince investors of the
potential of upcycling waste products (Woodall et al., 2019).
It is possible to upcycling or repurpose waste products in ways that better utilize their
unique qualities and architectural make-up (Davis et al., 2016). This could be accomplished
Creativity Studies, 2024, 17(1), 192–206 193
more quickly if the process resulted in anything of value, such as the creation of aesthetically
pleasing and functional products. Possible beneciaries include up-and-coming designers, as
the proposed solution centers on the actualization of self-production acts, such as the devel-
opment of a series of self-designed products. This could be accomplished by the creation of a
low volume “pilot design” employing creative idea generation techniques. Thus, self-produc-
tion may provide a means of responding to the problem by presenting high-quality products
with added value, provided that these products are conceived of and executed in a way that
is both creatively viable and environmentally sustainable.
The purpose of the study is to provide answers regarding the repurposing of waste by
determining waste kinds that are suitable for the purpose by either being numerous or hav-
ing a large environmental impact. For the repurpose to be eective, a precise and targeted
technique must be developed and used for a variety of design experiences, Self-product
design would be conducted through a program in which designers have access to contempo-
rary transdisciplinary capabilities, ranging from design to new creative products, referencing
contemporary creative idea generation techniques and application. Self-product design thus
becomes a preferred route to inventive design, centered on waste products and based on
the SCAMPER technique’s integrated creative idea generation.
2. Upcycling
Before the notion of upcycling emerged, the term recycling was often used to describe envi-
ronmentally benign practices that involved reusing products by synthesizing them with other
additions through decomposition (Oh et al., 2016). This straightforward approach to recy-
cling, known as “downcycling”, is distinct from “upcycling”. In other words, while traditional
recycling results in a loss of value relative to the product’s potential reuse value, upcycling
actually increases this value (Wegener & Aakjær, 2016). Compounding the English terms up
and cycling, upcycling can be found in dictionaries. Up indicates on a higher level or above,
and cycling means to cycle. Consequently, a design act or its eect that further raises the
value of a recycling target for the aim of recycling resources best describes upcycling design.
If upcycling anything counts as recycling, then giving it a new use by giving it a creative
makeover qualies (Monsù Scolaro & de Medici, 2021). The basic objective of upcycling is to
repurpose and use waste materials and components in the production of a wide variety of
brand-new products that are part of fully accessible cycles (Kerr & Ryan, 2001; Mont et al.,
2006). For instance, the liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screen of an obsolete mobile phone
created by Company A may be repurposed as the climate control touch screen in the instru-
ment panel of a car built by Company B, and then again as the backlit LCD panel in a data
projector made by Company C. Instead of recycling the rest of the phone, its parts might be
put to other use in a wide variety of dierent products. In conclusion, all the materials and
parts used are of equal or greater worth than they were in the rst implementation. Never-
theless, in order to properly cater to downstream repurposing, each of these features would
need to be considered upstream in the design stage of the mobile phone.
Within the context of the upcycling concept, Xu and Gu (2015) propose ve guiding
principles for waste product redesign as follows.
194 J. Boonpracha et al. Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products
2.1. Enhancing the overall value
Because the primary objective of upcycling is to raise the value of waste and transform it into
a source of wealth, increasing that value should come rst in the process. In order to adhere
to such a guideline, designers are obligated to thoroughly investigate the potential worth of
the waste in terms of its function, material, structure, and so on, and to do all in their power
to increase that value.
2.2. Reprocessing as much of the waste as possible
In order to make the most of the waste and avoid a lot of secondary waste, redesigning using
waste as the raw material should involve making every eort to cut down on the number of
waste materials generated throughout the production process. In order to make a suitable
program for the entire design and manufacturing process, which requires the designers to
start from the source, as well as be well equipped with the sound control ability to deal with
emergencies, this requires the designers to start from the source. However, not all types of
waste are able to maximize their potential applications in the same way. Because of this,
the designers need to have a certain level of environmental awareness in order to identify
how to minimize production and ensure the appropriate treatment of waste to the greatest
extent possible.
2.3. Being ecologically friendly
Even while the raw material for redesigning products originates from things that have been
used up or thrown away, this does not mean that the quality of such products is poor. On
the other hand, the designers ought to treat it similarly without prejudice and develop it with
the same status as typical products in order to guarantee that its quality is long-lasting and
to extend the amount of time that it can be used. When it comes to the design, use, and
recycling of products, negative impacts on the environment should be avoided at all costs. In
the meantime, product designers should focus more on taking environmentally friendly prod-
ucts as a design guide and avoid the use of materials that are harmful to the environment.
2.4. Keeping a close eye on the expenses
Although garbage upcycling and redesigning ought to be subject to eective cost manage-
ment, this will not happen if products are unable to be properly converted into products,
which will result in a signicant drop in value. Therefore, the rst step of the regeneration
process is the design, and in this step, designers need to take all aspects of the designing
process into consideration so that they can eectively control the cost of redesigning from
the source.
2.5. Maintaining the aesthetic of the populace
The design principle of using commercialization as a guide should be followed by the princi-
ple of conforming to the aesthetic taste of the general audience. In accordance with this idea,
the designers should have great visual quality, an acute understanding of, and be familiar with
Creativity Studies, 2024, 17(1), 192–206 195
the conditions and customs of the target market, in addition to having sensitivity regarding
features that are fashionable and popular. And they do their best to avoid incorporating their
own personal views and values into the design so that the end product can be considered an
individual “thing” that does not adhere to the aesthetic preferences of the general audience.
3. Responsibility in waste for product design
Product design is mainly relevant and responsible for household product waste because many
of these products end up in the trash. In order to achieve zero waste by design, products and
packaging must never end up in a landll. The main objective of cradle-to-cradle production
is to create products that can be used and reused throughout their entire lives in ways that
add value (Wilber, 2010). In general, the way design is executed falls short of this objective.
There must be a dramatic change in how things are conceived, built, packaged, distributed,
repaired, recycled, and disposed of at their end of life. This cannot be accomplished without
a radical rethinking of product design, construction, materials, performance characteristics,
and end-of-life considerations (McDonough & Braungart, 2002; Papanek, 2005; Thorpe, 2007;
Vezzoli & Manzini, 2008). Design professionals and manufacturers need to think about how
they might eectively enable upcoming extended product responsibility and product stew-
ardship rules, in addition to the more obvious problems with landlls. It has been proven that
product take-back for reuse has the potential to be protable and even save a lot of money
compared to purchasing new products (Klausner et al., 1998; Mazhar, 2006), and it has been
suggested that product reusing is a better price for product design than recycling (Mazhar,
2006). Reducing carbon emissions and waste, utilizing, and reusing materials responsibly, and
limiting energy expenditure in production cycles are all aspects of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,
Remove movement that can be helped by designing with component reuse as a primary
priority energy expenditure in production cycles.
There are signicant dierences between recycling and upcycling, which will be discussed
in further depth in the upcoming sections. On the other hand, there is a dearth of research
that investigates the product design of upcycling as an ecient tool for both design and
waste management. Upcycling is one way that product designers can directly minimize the
amount of waste from domestic products that go into the waste products. On a broader
scale, upcycling can reduce the amount of material that is used in product design production.
4. SCAMPER for generating creative ideas for upcycling in
product design
The creative conceptualization process underlies the preponderance of creative approaches,
creative design ideas, and their practical implementation. Brainstorming, mind mapping, the
SCAMPER approach, and other similar techniques have all been used to study the creative
process and its eects on the generation of new and creative ideas. SCAMPER is a tech-
nique and approach that combines brainstorming and mind mapping to help generate a
diverse range of creative ideas and approaches to solving challenges that necessitate uncon-
ventional thinking. SCAMPER is an acronym for the sequence of excellent creative thinking
196 J. Boonpracha et al. Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products
processes invented by Bob Eberle (Gündoğan, 2019): substitute, combine, adapt, modify,
magnify, minimize, put to other use, eliminate, reverse, and rearrange. Before attempting to
solve problems, the SCAMPER technique develops ideas by asking a series of questions to
identify potential obstacles (Choi & Kim, 2014). In order to creatively solve confusing prob-
lems without missing the most pressing ones, the SCAMPER technique employs checklists
(Mohamed-Kamal Hijazi, 2016). This thinking strategy is eective for sharing concepts while
solving problems creatively and for unanticipated innovations that were overlooked through-
out development (Zhang et al., 2016). There are a lot of ways to get your creative ideas out
there, but the SCAMPER method is unique in that it lets you use dierent types of creative
thinking in any order and ask as many or as few questions as necessary to arrive at the best
possible solution (Deng et al., 2020). The questions that lead to and support the solutions for
each SCAMPER method are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Questions for each SCAMPER technique (source: created by authors)
Checklist Applicable questions to product design
(S) Substitute What assets or resources can be traded to increase the prod-
uct’s quality?
Is this product interchangeable with another?
What will happen if someone has a particular opinion or view-
point on this product?
(C) Combine What if two products were joined together to create something
wholly unique?
What if objectives or goals are merged?
How might one merge resources to create an innovative prod-
uct strategy?
(A) Adjust In what ways might this product be adjusted for a dierent
purpose or implementation?
In which of the gure’s examples could the product be used?
What other suggestions do you have that would be inspiring?
(M) Modify Which would you choose if you could alter the product’s shape
and appearance?
What more could you highlight or stress to provide more sig-
nicance?
Could you make any changes to this product’s features to
make it better?
(P) Put to other uses Can this product be utilized in another sector?
In what other ways do you believe this product would respond
in a certain context?
Can waste from this product be repurposed to create anything
new?
(E) Eliminate Can you come up with any ideas to simplify or minimize this
product?
Do you have any parts, features, or processes you could get
rid of?
What if portion of this commodity was taken away?
(R) Reverse What if you reversed the process or changed the steps?
What components could be changed to vary the product’s
pattern?
What options do you have for reorganizing this product?
Creativity Studies, 2024, 17(1), 192–206 197
5. Methodology
As a group concerning friendly and sustainable environmental issues, we chose an autoeth-
nographic method to apply Upcycling for repurposing waste by determining waste kinds
that are suitable for the purpose and have a possible negative environmental impact. Ellis
(2003), the author of a well-known autoethnography, denes autoethnography as a type
of self-analysis and writing that explores the personal experience of the researcher and in-
tegrates this autoethnographic article to sociocultural, ideological, and social implications
and comprehensions. Autoethnography is a type of writing that illustrates the researcher’s
personal experience and research technique that combines self-observation and reective
examination within the framework of ethnographic research.
In order to make the method of product design from waste more apparent, the study en-
gages in autoethnography research to involve a self-design, and then translate the results of
this study into creative product design. The study aims to draw from each other researchers’
own experience in order to gain a better knowledge of the process of creative product design
from the waste, and then going to assess that knowledge in connection with the setting of
product design practices. Therefore, autoethnography is the method that is particularly t for
attempting to comprehend to apply upcycling to design creative products from waste. The
study participates in the design process with the mindset of focusing on creative idea creation
during the design phases. In summary, an autoethnographic method of designing products
is established as part of this study so that the objectives of the research can be realized.
The primary purpose of this design process is to identify and self-design with modes
of interaction and cooperation between the creative idea generation technique (SCAMPER)
and integrate innovation from design in the resolution of an upcycling waste management
issue. In another sense, a new “hybridized” and creative methodology is developed, based
on the integration of knowledge from dierent disciplines and geared toward inducing “cre-
ative short-circuits”. According to Bowen et al. (2016), they are characterized as the ability
of a skilled designer to creatively synthesize information from other related elds. Design
should be able to anticipate how future needs will evolve in order to translate them into
new concepts and inventive products. In this situation, understanding disposal concerns for
some forms of waste permits their identication as a resource, complete with their identity
and characteristics. The strategy focuses mostly on creative product design and presents
alternative upcycling approaches. In this method, waste products can be transformed into
new concepts and products with a variety of inventive designs based on a series of natural
discovery concepts, thereby enhancing their unique features and identities. The most signif-
icant phases that dene this strategy are outlined below.
5.1. Selecting the waste products
The wasted soft drink cans were chosen for the reason that these cans themselves are not a
problem since aluminium can be recycled repeatedly without losing any of its quality (Chino,
2011). In many countries, about half of the cans being used are recycled. The problem is the
other half, which is the huge number of cans that end up in rivers, on sidewalks, and on elds.
When people do not know how to recycle, it hurts the environment and people’s health. For
198 J. Boonpracha et al. Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products
example, mining and other processes used to make new aluminium create pollution and
waste energy. Single-use containers are convenient, but they are terrible for the environment.
Every can that is thrown away must be replaced with a new one made from new materials.
Most people do not think about this after lunch or on the bus.
5.2. Emerging conceptions that interpret, communicate, and value the
identity of a new series of creative products
The result of the nal product design will be reected in the conceptual design (Brunetti &
Golob, 2000). If the designer is creative enough, the work will be of great quality, value, and
originality (de Bassi Padilha et al., 2017). The unique approach at this stage is the front strat-
egy, consisting of design planning and basic detail design (Taura & Nagai, 2011). This stage
requires the ability to solve diculties involving current waste products in order to generate
innovative ideas, as well as the ability to seek out uncommon creative possibilities that go
beyond the conventional.
5.3. Generating ideas by sketching
Sketching up ideas gives the designer original ones, which encourages the emergence of
fresh ones (Brun et al., 2016). Designers’ interactions with their designs are described by
Goldschmidt (2003) as an interaction in between concept and sketch; the designer recog-
nizes sucient evidence in the sketches and thereafter expands his or her contemplation in
reaction to all of this information distribution. Sketches might include hidden creative ideas
during the sketching phase.
5.4. Rendering the series of creative ideas for new product design
using a 3D program
3D rendering is the process of making realistic-looking images of a model or design in two
or three dimensions. It is done after a design is modelled in computer-aided design software
or 3D modeling software to show the design, such as a product, building, building interior,
building facade, and so on. Using special 3D rendering software, a design can be shown in a
photo-realistic way in 3D rendering. It will correctly record the 3D elements used in a design
and show them so they can be shown. To get the most out of their creative designs, designers
can also make the rendered images scalable, navigable, and interactive.
6. Results
This study has taken this design process with the mission to solve the environmental prob-
lems in the concept of upcycling. Working with the SCAMPER technique, the study later
unveiled a series of creative and simple-to-make products in the expectation that they may
eventually replace single-use cans.
After selecting the waste products, the next stage is to plan the innovative upcycling of a
waste soft drink can. At this point, the soft drink can is divided in half. Using the SCAMPER
technique, the study opted to employ the (S) substitute technique, which considers a
Creativity Studies, 2024, 17(1), 192–206 199
45-degree slit in an oval-shaped half as a replacement for a straight, circle-shaped halve.
The outcome is an attractive and uncommon oblique shape that is more inventive than a
circular cross-section, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. A 45-degree slit in an oval-shaped half of a waste soft drink can (source: created by
authors)
Figure 2 shows that the rst product of this study resulted from the initial concepts was
a desk clock because the top and bottom of the soft drink cans are round, like a watch. By
using the adapt in SCAMPER technique, the oblique-shaped face of the desk clock could
be claimed to be the metaphor for a cut tree log displaying the tree’s annual growth rings.
Figure 2. The shape and face of the desk clock could be related to the metaphor of a cut tree
log displaying the tree’s annual growth rings (source: created by authors)
Using the (R) reverse technique, the two halves of a soft drink can are put together in
a way that makes them look like binoculars. So, they are made to hold pictures of animals,
whether they are on land or in the water as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. The two halves of a soft drink can are put together in a way that makes them look like
binoculars (source: created by authors)
200 J. Boonpracha et al. Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products
Using the (C) combine technique, a toy spring was attached to connect the two sides of
each of the two halves of a soft drink can, allowing the user to envision a rainbow and pro-
viding for the insertion of notes or business cards as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. A toy spring was attached to connect the two sides of each of the two halves of a soft
drink can, allowing the user to envision a rainbow and providing for the insertion of notes or
business cards (source: created by authors)
Using the (E) eliminate technique, the top and bottom of a waste soft drink can be
punched into little holes to hold pencils or pens, which, when lled with some slanted pencils
and pens, resembles a meteor shower as depicted in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Inserting some pens and pencils into the holes on the top and bottom of a waste soft
drink can imitate a meteor shower (source: created by authors)
Using the (R) reverse technique, the two halves of a soft drink can be reassembled into
their original form. By creating the half-top of the can to be a lamp, the hidden light within
the can’s half-top could be turned on and o by rotating it. The turning on and o of the
lamp’s light mimics the rising and setting of the sun as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. The turning on and o of the lamp’s light mimics the rising and setting of the sun
(source: created by authors)
Creativity Studies, 2024, 17(1), 192–206 201
7. Discussion
In this study, the resulting product design is not a conventional design for automated man-
ufacturing or industrial design. However, this appears suitable when discussing sustaina-
ble product design. In the design process of emerging conceptions and generating ideas,
SCAMPER played a signicant role in the creative idea generation. In the process of emerging
conceptions, (A) adjust was applied to grow the concept that uses natural discovery as the
main idea for designing creative products, such as a desk watch, a pair of picture frames,
a spring clip holder, a pencil holder, and a lamp. And in the process of generating ideas, each
of the SCAMPER techniques was applied to come up with creative ideas for product design
that integrate with the concept of natural discovery shown in Figures 1–6.
According to Xu and Gu’s (2015) ve guiding principles for redesigning waste products,
the consistent outcomes of upcycling product design in this study are as follows.
7.1. Enhancing the overall value
In the design process of selecting waste products, soft drink cans were selected for the fol-
lowing reasons: a large number of cans end up in rivers, on sidewalks, and in elds, and when
people do not know how to recycle or reuse and repurpose them, it harms the environment
and the health of people. These single-use containers are convenient, yet extremely detrimen-
tal to the environment. The upcycling concept and design method are the optimal solution
for this issue and show the result of repurposing a large number of waste soft drink cans to
be a series of creative products with the theme of nature discovery, including a desk watch
inspired by a tree’s year ring, a pair of picture frames inspired by a pair of binoculars, a spring
clip holder inspired by a rainbow, a pencil holder with slanted pencils and pens inspired by
a meteor shower, and a lamp inspired by sunrise and sunset. Thus, these upcycling products
with the concept of nature discovery serve as examples and guides for adding value to waste
products or materials and transforming waste into wealth.
7.2. Reprocessing as much of the waste as possible
All of the product designs that came out of this study were designed by choosing a tech-
nique to cut waste soft drink cans into two equal parts at a 45-degree angle without making
any waste. This outcome also permits each sliced half to be developed as a pair or as an
independent product. In addition, the eect of the product’s oblique design distinguishes it
from other products that typically have a vertical base. However, using this method of the
cutting component to create a creative product, such as pencil and pen holders, may have
some perforation-related waste. However, drilling is considered to produce very little waste
when compared to the whole part of the can that was not modied in any way, and its waste,
aluminium, can be recycled. In addition, the design highlights the origin of the waste product
as much as possible, for instance, without altering or adding graphics to the can’s exterior.
But when something must be added, it must have new functionalities and intriguing shapes
and patterns that remain conceptual, such as the addition of a toy spring that connects the
two halves of the can to give it a unique appearance as a rainbow arch.
202 J. Boonpracha et al. Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products
7.3. Being ecologically friendly
Upcycling is the process of reusing waste products or resources to boost its worth, use, and
quality. The ndings of this study show how to design and repurpose waste soft drink cans
into ve creative products without creating trash or using recycling methods that will degrade
materials or have a negative environmental impact. In order to successfully generate these
ve upcycling products, it is important to consider the steps that occur both before and after
the actual design and production process, such as the sourcing and processing of the design
as well as what happens to the product once it has reached the end of its life cycle. But
this is not a minor transaction. Environmentally friendly product design is a skill that can be
developed, just like any other procedure (Ng & Chan, 2020). It gets simpler when designers
gain greater insight into how to approach design as a whole. It will become essential to the
current design process (Hasenkamp et al., 2007).
7.4. Keeping a close eye on the expenses
Some authors (Kathy, 2019) mentioned supply chain implications as the reason why
eco-friendly products are often more expensive. Producing products that have a low impact
on the environment is tough, and additional prices increase the degree of diculty. Generally,
the costs associated with the production of sustainable products are also higher. These facil-
ities are frequently shared because the majority of organic activities are too small to justify
a large production plant. This necessitates a substantial amount of time and eort to ensure
that organic and conventional components are produced separately. As we all know, time is
money, and labour is paid on a per-hour basis (this cost will be even higher if we consider
fair wages). The problem of cost factors described above does not apply to the upcycling
product design in this study, as the design process from scratch costs nearly nothing due to
the selection of waste soft drink cans as the design resource for upcycling products is free.
The design process takes a straightforward approach to the design process. It did not require
any complicated technology, but the end result is ve creative upcycling products that use
the SCAMPER technique to change waste to wealth.
7.5. Maintaining the aesthetic of the populace
In the current scenario, environmental products are a classication of products that have
increasing relevance in the context of environmental destruction and acknowledgment of the
principles of sustainability. In other words, the notion of sustainable development is becom-
ing more widely recognized (Witek, 2020). Consumers pay attention to a variety of aspects
of a product in addition to its value, cost, and commercialization factors (such as its style and
branding), including aspects such as its impact on their health and the environment as well
as its level of satisfaction (Vasileiadis et al., 2019). Purchase behaviour is important because it
has a great deal to do with how consumers consider products, and more and more of them
are choosing products that are benecial to the environment. Marketing strategies that ac-
count for the fact that the idea of sustainable development can work well if buyers change
the way they act (Huang et al., 2020). The ve upcycling products designed in this study are
not only environmentally sustainable but also maintain the original waste materials’ patterns
Creativity Studies, 2024, 17(1), 192–206 203
and graphic design. One of the most eective upcycling techniques for product design is
to highlight the product’s natural elegance and simplicity. This gives consumers a sense of
condence that the product is sustainable for the environment.
7.6. Design consideration
First, the scope of the design method was limited. The main focus of this research was the
“trash design” approach to reusing waste materials. This method showed how creative it can
be to nd new uses for old things, but it may only be a short-term answer to environmental
problems. If other eco-design principles and methods are not looked at, the study may not
be as useful or have as big of an eect as it could.
Second, the study did not look at the design of eco-objects in depth from the beginning
to make sure they were in line with key sustainability principles. To make truly sustainable and
eco-friendly products, it is important to use principles like minimizing waste in production,
using local raw materials, avoiding dierent structural materials, reducing ttings, making sure
the product breaks down naturally, and making the most of energy resources.
Third, real-world implementation and scalability: most of the design items in the study
were one-of-a-kind, and the feasibility and scalability of mass production were not fully con-
sidered. Taking care of these things is important for real-world implementation and making
a bigger dierence in environmental problems by getting more people to use products that
are environmentally friendly.
Lastly, aesthetics and deformed waste materials: the study recognized that aesthetics were
a concern, especially when working with discarded cans that are deformed. No one looked
into how hard it is to work with deformed waste materials and how that might aect the way
upcycled products appear.
8. Conclusions
The ve creative products that were designed from waste soft drink cans demonstrate the
possibilities of upcycling in design. Upcycling design approach allowed the researcher to
repurpose waste materials that would have otherwise been disposed of in landlls. In all,
the ndings of this study show that upcycling and autoethnography have the potential to
become important approaches to environmentally conscious design. The products that were
made as a result of this method serve as concrete illustrations of the inventive and useful
possibilities that may be realized by reusing waste materials into new and unique products.
Upcycling gives designers and researchers who are interested in making products that have a
purpose and are socially responsible some potential new avenues to explore at a time when
the world is struggling with the problems of waste and environmental sustainability.
There are a number of suggestions for further study in the area of upcycling and au-
toethnography in sustainable product design. Initially, the study needs a bigger sample size:
upcycling and autoethnography could be tested for scalability in a variety of design contexts
with a bigger sample number of goods in future studies. This may help researchers better
understand the potential of upcycling in various sectors and business situations. Second,
look at other potential waste materials for upcycling and reusing other just soft drink cans,
204 J. Boonpracha et al. Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products
which were the primary focus of this study. Upcycling other sorts of garbage, like plastic
bags or cardboard boxes, could be investigated in the future to produce innovative and
environmentally friendly products. Finally, evaluate sustainable design strategies by con-
trasting them: While this study focused on upcycling as a design strategy, other sustainable
design methods are available and should be investigated as well. Research in the future
could evaluate the relative merits of methods like participatory design and user-centred
design in producing environmentally friendly and respectfully received goods. Although the
upcycled goods developed in this study are aesthetically pleasing and socially responsible,
it is not known how they will fare in terms of durability, utility, and practicality. The long-
term performance and usability of upcycled items could be studied in the future to ascertain
their commercial feasibility.
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... This practice goes beyond recycling by adding value through design and creativity. Artists, designers, and entrepreneurs are leading the charge in upcycling, turning discarded items into fashionable clothing, functional furniture, and artistic creations (Boonpracha et al., 2024;Verger et al., 2024). ...
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