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Blended course


How to assess upcycling


Upcycling is increasingly being recognized as a practical and creative way to reduce waste, and promote environmental sustainability. There are numerous ways to assess upcycling, depending on everyone’s interests and available resources.

Strating point of assessing upcycling is through online tutorials and blogs, where a plethora of ideas and inspiration can be found. Websites like YouTube, Pinterest, and Instructables offer step-by-step guidance on how to turn unwanted materials into practical, and often beautiful, items.

Another way to assess upcycling is to connect with professionals and enthusiasts in the field. Searching for upcycling workshops, seminars, and meetups in a community or searching for virtual events online. Art studios, community centers and environmental organizations often offer upcycling workshops, providing an opportunity to learn new skills and make connections with like-minded individuals.

Social media groups dedicated to upcycling also provide an excellent way to connect with others, share ideas, and get tips on where to find materials and resources.

Second-hand shops considered to be also an excellent way to assess upcycling. Physically browsing thrift stores and flea markets offers the chance to find unique items that can be repurposed into something new and valuable. Second-hand stores often sell items for low cost, reducing the need to purchase new materials.

Finally, attending sustainability and eco-friendly events, such as sustainability fairs and eco-design shows, can be a great way to learn about upcycling from experts in the field and interact with other individuals interested in promoting sustainable practices.

Overall, there are numerous ways to assess upcycling, offering a practical and fun way to promote sustainability and creative problem-solving.

Who to assess the effectiveness of the upcycling process ?

  • Identify the objectives: Identify the objectives of the upcycling process and determine what you want to assess. For example, improving sustainability, reducing waste, increasing creativity, or enhancing efficiency;
  • Specify measuring criteria: Once the objectives are identified, the criteria needs to be define in order to measure the effectiveness of the upcycling process. The criteria can vary based on the objectives, but some typical criteria include cost savings, reduced waste, resource efficiency, and environmental impact;
  • Note the information: Gather information that is consistent with the measurement criteria. To assess the quantity of waste produced before and after upcycling, the improvement in resource efficiency, or the cost savings, be sure to collect data both before and after the procedure;
  • Study the information: To ascertain whether the upcycling procedure was successful, analyze the data gathered. To make sense of the data and find potential connections or patterns, use a variety of statistical methods;
  • Receive/ collect feedback: Seek feedback from stakeholders, including students involved in the upcycling process and customers who use upcycled products. Identify areas for improvement and make necessary recommendations.;
  • Keep improving: Based on the received information analysis and feedback, continuously improve the upcycling processes, including the design, development, and implementation of the process.

Overall, assessing the effectiveness of upcycling involves identifying the objectives, defining criteria, noting information, analyzing the receiving information and feedback and continuously improving the process. 

After reading this module:

  • The reader will be able to recognize how to access Upcycling
  • The reader will understand how to assess Upcycling in the classroom (STEAM)
  • The reader will get to know Quantitative Evaluation parameters to assess an upcycling project
  • The reader will get to know Qualitative Evaluation parameters to assess an upcycling project


"The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein"

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