There is a need for change...

At a fast pace we are exhausting our planet. Scientists these days have even lost the plot and state we are entering “unchartered territory” with respect to fast changes in climate and related droughts, rising sea level and temperatures, disappearing ice caps and more. With an ever growing world population we are also producing a massive amount of waste, that is partly burned and polluting our air, filling our rivers and oceans and suffocating whales, sea turtles, fish and birds at an unprecedented scale.

Scientists and environmentalists are calling for rapid change, otherwise we may be too late. Politics and society are warming – still too slow though – to the idea of a sustainable, durable, circular and fossil free global economic system. And more and more start-ups are working with sustainable, circular and other new business models which are the future. Too many are also using sustainable, circular, sharing and renewable as empty marketing slogans to just make more profit… something that doesn’t work in the long run.

Upp! UpCycling Plastic wants to help as well to make the world a cleaner and greener place. We want to process plastic waste into sustainable construction materials. The benefits? Many. First we find an alternative to plastic ending up in incinerators, in landfills, in rivers and in oceans. And ultimately ending up in our own food chain. There is plenty of plastic waste we have to find a sustainable and durable destination for. Upp! UpCycling Plastic only uses a fraction of the total plastic waste produced every day worldwide, although relatively speaking our thick walled products need quite a large volume of plastic waste. Therefore, recycling or upcycling plastic in thick walled products is not the cheapest option, but definitely one of the more sustainable ones.

Secondly the planks and poles of recycled plastic waste are an excellent alternative to the use of wood. So the more recycled plastic we use, the less trees we need to chop. Which is good for the environment. So wherever possible, use plastic instead of wood. Plastic is Fantastic, Wood is not Good….

Thirdly, total cost of ownership is much lower than those of wood/concrete. Thick-walled recycled plastic lasts much longer than wood or even concrete. Planks and poles from Recycled Plastic don’t rot, nor splinter and are therefore very durable. Life expectancy on a jetty for example easily exceeds 70 years (with the right UV protection).  So the total cost of ownership over the total lifespan is much lower than that of less sustainable alternatives and maintenance costs also are very low, since nothing sticks to it. A regular rain shower will clean your terrace or jetty from recycled plastic perfectly.

Fourth we need to mention the environmental friendly character of recycled plastic. Products from recycled plastic don’t need a further treatment to enhance life expectancy, the material doesn’t leach in water. Obviously when drilling holes or sawing pieces one should take care of the waste material, the small waste degenerates very difficult too.Fifth. Thick walled products are not only thick-walled to take large volumes of plastic waste. By using a specific production technology , the construction characteristics of the material is also excellent. They have excellent impact and wear characteristics, the product can be made rather stiff and strong and there are possibilities for reinforcement (wood fibers, coconut fibers, steel, glass fiber, …) although sometimes they limit the recycling possibility of the products.

Sixth and certainly not last, a big benefit is these products are fully recyclable. We can use them over and over again. Which opens possibilities to look at circular business models as well, to make even the purchase of these products financially attractive.

So, if we want to change, we can. If governments, companies and people want to procure in a more sustainable way, use recycled plastic for retaining walls, for outdoor/street furniture, for pedestrian/bicycle bridges, for footpaths, terraces, utility building, jetties, landing stages, quays, etcetera. It’s more sustainable, it’s durable, cost-effective certainly in the long run, low maintenance expenses, fully recyclable and we actively contribute to a cleaner and greener world. And that’s exactly why we are starting up Upp! UpCycling Plastic.

Currently Upp! is starting up in Vietnam. We will first test the market with imported products and by the beginning of next year we will have our own manufacturing facility in Vietnam to serve the local market locally. Sustainable, Circular, Durable and Local. Very well suitable for a warm, wet and humid environment such as in Vietnam. Set up as a social enterprise, aimed for social and environmental impact. Of course commercially sustainable as well.

Upp! For a Cleaner and Greener World. We have to.