On upcycleDZINE it’s all about upcycle design. I always say that upcycling is superlative to recycling. With upcycling there’s almost no energy used and no pollution created to produce a new product. The upcycled object or material gets a new function with a higher value.
Most of the time recycling aims to reuse the material in a way that has less quality or value than before. Of course recycling is needed because otherwise even more waste would end up on landfills. But it’s not as eco-friendly as upcycling. Good thing about recycling is that it’s done in large quantities. That’s still a thing about upcycling that needs attention. In the design world upcycling is slowly finding its place. Yes it’s still a niche, but it’s getting there. What I really like about upcycle design is the fact that designers show what can be done with waste or old objects. And maybe one day industries will find a way to really have a completely ‘circular economy‘.

Design made out of concrete shows honest character

But for now I’m happy with all those fantastic designers that see the necessity and added value of upcycle design. Sometimes I come across sustainable design that isn’t pure upcycle design but still very interesting. Like when a beautiful designed object is made out of recycled material. And that’s what happened last week. On the web I found this amazing looking collection of concrete lamps. They are part of a design collection called ‘Recycle Series‘. The design is by Bentu Design, a creative company based in Guangzhou | China. They took construction waste and created a stunning line of lamps. The philosophy behind this project is that they wanted to give new lives to discarded materials and make them regain dignity.

Maybe you’ve visited the ‘About‘ page on upcycleDZINE and read why I started this site. Than you might know that it all started when I noticed, during a visit to the Salone 2012 in Milan, that almost all great designs that where out there did nothing for the environment or didn’t add anything to what was already there.

Bentu Design:

“In today’s world, material desire is highly satisfied. Excessive designs are increasing burden of the earth and consuming lives on the earth. What the earth will return to human beings with its self-regulation are disasters and catastrophes. In fact, the world does not need more designs!”

Photos © Bentu Design

What I really like about the Recycle Series is that they took construction waste to create design objects. A kind of waste that you normally wouldn’t expect to end up as the base material for upcycle design.

Bentu Design:

“Construction concrete is the beginning of recycling. The recycling of construction waste adopts daily design and industrial manufacturing and takes on aesthetic effect. It is indeed a good way to serve the people and protect the environment.”

I hope you agree that the Recycle Series lamps certainly deserve a place on upcycleDZINE. Another great example of giving waste material a new function and higher value. A nice collection of honest design lamps.

Design by Bentu Design