Motives, drivers and barriers to urban upcycling

Motives, drivers and barriers to urban upcycling

Cities offer opportunities for upcycling initiatives and seek to tackle challenges in urban solid waste management by encouraging entrepreneurs to create value from local waste streams in urban resource centres and circular crafts centres. However, little is known about what drives urban upcycling and which barriers and drivers occur.

Urban upcycling in Dutch furniture industry

This study explores urban upcycling in the context of the Dutch furniture industry, since The Netherlands positions itself as a ‘circular economy hotspot’ and furniture offers promising opportunities and best practices for upcycling. The analysis of 29 semi-structured interviews with experts engaged in urban upcycling reveals personal motives, drivers and barriers.

Urban upcycling: personal motives

Personal motives include:

1. a personal purpose to ‘do good’
2. an urge to challenge the status quo
3. learning and inspiring by doing

Urban upcycling: key drivers

Key drivers entail opportunities to:

1. engage in collaborative experimentation
2. participate in cross-sectoral local networks
3. develop resource-based adaptive competences
4. respond to increasing demand for upcycled products
5. make social business activities financially viable

Urban upcycling: key barriers

Key barriers perceived by upcycling experts include:

1. limitations in resource availability
2. increasing capacity requirements
3. negative public quality perception
4. limited marketing competences and
5. an unequal playing field

Authors

• Inge Oskam
• Marco van Hees
•  Nancy Bocken