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Mumbai resident takes up 'Upcycling' to protect environment

The products made by the organisation ensure that non-recyclable products, those which might lead to highly toxic emissions if dumped in a landfill, are made into quirky lifestyle products.

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Hand-made festival products were made by these members for The Upcycle Project.
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Amishi Shah, 24, runs 'The Upcycle Project', pairing her business sense with the need to protect the environment in Mumbai. The management graduate aims to make the concept of upcycling big in India.

Shah was introduced to the idea of upcycling during a sustainability class that she took during her studies in the United Kingdom, where she pursued a Master's degree in International Management from the University of Bath. Around the same time, she saw stalls selling upcycled products there.

On returning to India in 2013, she started experimenting with upcycled products while she was working with a firm. Soon, she started making the products herself. The Upcycle Project was officially founded in April 2014, and a year later, the team now comprises of four to five part-time employees, an intern and a strong network for sourcing the products.

Speaking with iamin, Shah said, “The products have become better. The products I made initially did not look too appealing. Now, machine-made products are supplied and more than 100 orders are fulfilled in a month. The products are a part of the niche segments and have reached some stores in Mumbai and other cities too. Upcycling workshops are conducted once in a while and we are looking forward to tie-ups with NGOs and other organisations as well. For an industry that barely exists in our country, such response and progress is very encouraging,” says Shah, who currently works from her Peddar road residence.

The organisation takes discarded materials and uses them to create products which are of higher value than the original product. Unlike recycling, upcycling takes a product further up its life chain, while recycling usually degrades and modifies the composition and quality of the material.

The products made by the organisation ensure that non-recyclable products, those which might lead to highly toxic emissions if dumped in a landfill, are made into quirky lifestyle products. For example, vinyl records were upcycled to create newspaper holders and even pooja thalis.

Where does all the waste come from? "We approach scrap dealers and whatever is procured from them is made into products and put on online retail platforms for purchase," answers Shah.

What more is the organisation doing to make a social impact? To accomplish the basic objective of increasing awareness about upcycling and its advantages and building a market for such products in India, The Upcycle Project plans to introduce DIY (Do it yourself) projects. Tie-ups are in the pipeline to employ more people to manufacture products. "During the previous Diwali season, around seven members of the Paraplegic Foundation worked with us to make hand-made festival products. They were trained, given raw materials and they came up with beautiful products,” Amishi says.

Amishi proudly tells iamin, “During one year existence of this project, a positive impact has been made on the environment, scrap dealers are benefited and the load on overflowing landfills of the city is also reduced, business is provided to some sections of the society and the disabled were enabled.” Shah, who was earlier apprehensive about the response that her ideas would get, now feels there is a long way ahead.

For the longer version of the report, click here

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