Trash to Trend is a web platform that encourages upcycling by helping clothing designers to cooperate with mass producers, brands, local services and customers.
Upcycling means creating new value from waste materials by transforming them into modified or completely different products. Trash to Trend offers a solution to scale upcycling solutions through a user-friendly web platform, with tools for learning, cooperation and the stimulation of the global upcycling market.
This solution pairs designers and producers in a flexible way, so that the individual designers retain control over clothing styles as well as material selection. Trash to Trend have developed a waste mapping service that offers an interactive way for designers and producers to locate resources for their projects.
Why you should care
When adopted widely, upcycling has the potential to cut water and energy usage by around 70% and 64% respectively compared to traditional fashion processes. This will help to reduce the fashion sector’s large environmental footprint.
How the Global Goals are addressed
Clean Water and Sanitation
The average pair of jeans can require as much as 7,000 liters of water to produce. Upcycling material off-cuts and discarded clothing can cut this usage by around 70%.
Responsible Consumption and Production
Upcycling old clothes to make new fashion items prevents materials from going to landfill and can reduce demand for new materials.
Trash to Trend
The idea behind the Trash to Trend platform grew out of the doctoral research of Reet Aus - a designer who has been experimenting with upcycling in fashion and theatre costume design since 2002.
Global Goals addressed
