• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.899-918
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• 2018

Upcycling is the process of repurposing abandoned resources or useless products into products of better quality or higher environmental value. Upcycling products are evaluated to be sustainable because they demonstrate environmental values. However, domestic upcycling companies are operating on a small scale with a slow growth rate. This study aims to examine the value and risk factors of upcycling products from previous literature and clarify the effect of these ambivalent characteristics on purchase intention. This provides direction regarding factors upcycling companies should focus on. The data were collected via an online experiment with women in their 20s and 30s residing in South Korea, nationwide. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0. Analysis of this data suggests that environmental, design, and self-expression value positively affect purchase intention. This extends previous upcycling literature by identifying design and self-expression value as important antecedents of purchase intention. However, in contrast to previous literature, no significant effect of performance or diversity risk was found. These results indicate that ethical attitude has a moderating effect on the relationship between environmental value and purchase intention. This study confirms that consumers intend to purchase upcycling products when they possess not only environmental value but also design and self-expression value.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.95-111
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• 2019

This study is the 2nd report following "A Study on the Characteristics of Material in the Korean Up-cycling Fashion Brands (Part I)" that handled the development of upcycling props using the characteristics of upcycling material. The 2nd report analyzed product types and materials focusing on 21 foreign upcycling fashion brands. It analyzed the characteristics of upcycling fashion materials using the case analysis of coffee bean bag and waste denim based on external characteristics and internal characteristics. We then classified the external characteristics into environment/economic feasibility and availability/mixture and the internal characteristics into historicality/story and originality/scarcity. Five bags were designed and produced for the actual commercialization of fashion products based on such characteristics of materials, with the use of coffee bean bags and waste denim as upcycling materials. This study is differentiated from existing research by its suggestions for the utilization of fashion product upcycling coffee bean bags and waste denim. Also, upcycling fashion products could be competitive products in eco-friendliness and originality that can be a driving force for the sustainable development of fashion industry through the differentiation of existing fashion products.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.216-226
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• 2015

This study identifies factors of perceived risk of up-cycling fashion products and investigates perceived risk factors that influence consumers' trust, purchase intention, and recommendation intention towards upcycling fashion products. We also examine the relationship of trust, purchase intention, and recommendation intention for upcycling fashion products. A qualitative research method using a free narrative form and depth interview were used. The perceived risk from up-cycling fashion products generated 5 factor solutions: aesthetic risk, sanitary risk, social risk, performance risk, and economic risk. Next, 201 effective data were collected from a questionnaire survey and analyzed with SPSS 22.0. The results are summarized as follows. First, aesthetic risk and performance risk had a negative effect on products. Second, aesthetic risk and performance risk had negative influence on purchase intention for upcycling fashion products. Third, performance risk had a negative impact on recommendation intention for upcycling fashion products. Fourth, trust had positive effect on purchase intention and recommendation intention for upcycling fashion products. The results of the current study provides various theoretical and practical implications for marketers and retailers interested in up-cycling fashion products.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2016

In modern society, designers started feeling moral and social responsibility in the aspect of environment as a position of suggesting something new. Rather than creating another waste to make something innovative, the concept of Upcycling which is about adding design or utilization to the existing recyclable materials to raise their value to products or art works has started settling down. Among them, there have been various researches on the use of offcut waste to be dumped. Such use of waste can be found in Jogakbo (patchwork), one of our traditional boudoir crafts. This could be connected to the concept of the modern Upcycling in the aspect of giving new values to the wasted pieces of fabric through needlework. Therefore, this study suggested Stitch work as new Upcycling furniture by seeking for the common connections between Upcycling and traditional Jogakbo, and then reinterpreting them in the same viewpoint. It was an opportunity not only to rediscover 'the esthetics of waste' by changing the awareness of 'behavior of dumping', but also to reinterpret or reconsider the tradition. Based on this, it is expected to continuously have new attempts to use offcut waste for eco-friendly design in the future, and also to have opportunities to seek for new directions of Upcycling to rediscover new values through the revaluation of valuelessness.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2019

The mass production after the industrialisation and the fast changing fashion cycles in today's world resulted in buying clothes and home textiles more than we need and discarding them before they complete their life cycles. This causes vast amounts of textile waste that creates environmental issues. Upcycling is the creative process of transforming clothing and textile waste by reusing deadstock or used fabric to create new garments and products. It holds importance in terms of sustainability, reducing waste and environmental pollution. During the process of upcycling, certainly the creativity and innovation are the key words because to reuse a product to a better value needs a creative mind, aesthetic consciousness, innovative look and knowledge and it is quite different from a normal design procedure. There is a delicate level of aesthetics which carries the reused materials to a higher value. The handling of the materials, knowing how to manipulate the waste material, the techniques available to apply to surfaces, the concept of two and three dimension on textiles and clothing, contributions of other branches of art such as sculpture and painting all help the designer to reach a higher aesthetic value in the upcycled product in this process. In the study; it was aimed to raise awareness, to attract attention to sustainable fashion and also to contribute to sustainable development as an upcycling design project realized with students in textile and fashion design education taken as an example.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2023

Various carbon upcycling technologies have been proposed and are under development to achieve Korea's carbon neutrality target. Many chemical reactions are under development through various chemical reaction pathways, and different technological maturity levels are shown for each country and company. In this situation, it is essential to establish investment decisions such as research funds and human resources allocation through technological and economic analysis for close commercialization technologies and basic technologies with low technology readiness levels (TRL). Therefore, in this study, the technology development priority for developing carbon upcycling items was selected according to the domestic Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU) technology roadmap using the stakeholder selection tool released by EU CarbonNext. As a result of the analysis, the TRL level of Korea's major carbon upcycling technologies was analyzed to be lower than that of other carbon resource technologies, and it was considered desirable to invest in mineral carbonization technologies among various candidate technologies.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2024

This study explores application of upcycling design methods in structural transformation of second-hand denim clothing, aiming to achieve sustainable design objectives. By drawing inspiration from Liu Qing's research methods in the field of circular utilization of denim clothing, this study collected and analyzed cases of structural transformation of used denim clothing from 2020 to 2023. It summarized structural transformation design methods for used denim clothing. Through the development of design works, this study aims to find out the best upgrading and renovation design strategy by applying the method of structural renovation design. This study aims to support the development of a sustainable fashion industry and promote recycling and upcycling of discarded clothing fabrics, thereby reducing resource waste and environmental impact.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.177-190
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• 2018

Fashion industry constantly produces and consumes, which leads to huge waste piles of perfectly usable textiles in landfills, as well as other negative effects of an exploitative and excessively rapid fashion process. Pollution created by making and dyeing clothes has pitted fashion industry and environmentalists against each other. In this context, upcycling is seen as an optimal way to solve the growing problem of waste in fashion industry. The first purpose of the study was to analyze the relationships between upcycling fashion products' perceived value, pro-environmental beliefs, attitudes, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention, and purchase intention. The second purpose is to verify the difference of perceived consumption value among the consumers' awareness level and purchase experience. A total of 258 valid responses obtained from a group of 20-30-year-old participants were collected through an online survey. SPSS 23.0 and Amos 18.0 programs were used for data analysis. The results of the present study suggest that there are significant effects of upcycling fashion products' perceived value on pro-environmental belief; furthermore, pro-environmental belief was found to positively influence attitude, eWOM intention, and purchase intention. In addition, there are differences of perceived consumption value among the consumers' awareness level and purchase experience. Taken together, the results of this study provide researchers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of consumers' values, beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions towards upcycling fashion products.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.131-148
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• 2021

Upcycling is a sustainable way to recycle waste resources and solve the global problem of environmental pollution. Upcycling is now attracting attention as fiberization and the disposal of waste clothing have become a serious issue. However, the customer's willingness to purchase upcycled products should be increased by propagating that the product value of a reborn commodity is of high value; these products are meant for new purposes and prepared with recycled materials. In this study, we created 11 designer items by applying an eco-friendly concept in the design process of upcycled textiles and products. From 2020 to 2021, a PBL(Problem Based Learning) curriculum was taught in design planning classes. The final 11 design items were derived after developing an eco-friendly product design for upcycled textiles. These final items were as follows: 5 fashion bags, 3 dog products, 1 clothing, 1 fashion accessory, and 1 sanitary mask design. In order to develop only one aesthetic design idea for upcycling, we considered the following features: user-centered convenience, functionality, and practicality. Then, tie-dye, drawing, patchwork, and embroidery were used to create innovative design items. The product design of recycled materials is based on high functionality, waterproofing, and the use of organic natural materials. The results of this study indicate that the creative product design of upcycling has contributed to a sustainable and eco-friendly environment. Related research studies must be conducted for innovating the continuous design process of the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a plastic material commonly applied to beverage packaging used in everyday life. Owing to PET's versatility and ease of use, its consumption has continuously increased, resulting in considerable waste generation. Several physical and chemical recycling processes have been developed to address this problem. Recently, biological upcycling is being actively studied and has come to be regarded as a powerful technology for overcoming the economic issues associated with conventional recycling methods. For upcycling, PET should be degraded into small molecules, such as terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, which are utilized as substrates for bioconversion, through various degradation processes, including gasification, pyrolysis, and chemical/biological depolymerization. Furthermore, biological upcycling methods have been applied to biosynthesize value-added chemicals, such as adipic acid, muconic acid, catechol, vanillin, and glycolic acid. In this review, we introduce and discuss various degradation methods that yield substrates for bioconversion and biological upcycling processes to produce value-added biochemicals. These technologies encourage a circular economy, which reduces the amount of waste released into the environment.