12 Designs for Circularity - Part 1

12 DESIGNS FOR CIRCULARITY Part 1 Meet the Suppliers

THE UPCYCL

CONTENTS Part 1 Meet the Suppliers

1

INTRODUCTION PART 1

2

ABOUT & WHY

3

NEVER HEARD OF NEW WASTE?

4

THE SUPPLIERS

5

WHAT DO THE SUPPLIERS SAY?

6

12 DESIGNS FOR CIRCULARITY

7

PROGRESS SO FAR & NEXT STEPS

THE UPCYCL

PART 1

Meet the Suppliers

WELCOME TO THE FIRST PART OF THE “12 DESIGNS FOR CIRCULARITY” PUBLICATION In January 2024, THE UPCYCL launched the circular project "12 Designs for Circularity", featuring 24 of our amazing members. This project is a value chain initiative and part of Denmark’s largest circular economy program, “Closing Loops”. The focus is on how manufacturing companies' waste materials can become new products for other manufacturers.

Through the project, we are matching 12 suppliers of waste materials with 12 design companies that can integrate these materials into their production processes as alternatives to virgin resources.

In this first part of the publication, you will get an overview of the project’s progress this year, with a special focus on the suppliers of waste materials. Learn about the challenges they face in reducing waste and their motivations for joining THE UPCYCL, contributing to a more circular way of working.

HAPPY READING!

THE UPCYCL - Page 1

THE UPCYCL

ABOUT At THE UPCYCL our goal is to work together to circulate materials between the production and development stages so that the supply chain will consist more of upcycled items. By sharing resources through THE UPCYCL, we free up time and generate revenue while reducing resource consumption and disposal impact.

THE UPCYCL is a tool and a catalyst for the utilization of materials - even those with skewed dimensions and unrefined edges. By setting requirements for the New Waste materials in the database on uniformity, continuity and volume, we ensure that it is possible to base entire collections and productions on a waste material. This replaces otherwise newly produced components with a upcycled alternative.

WHY? Because the production or development stages cannot circulate materials with itself. We need each other and the supply or demand we each represent. This way, we can anticipate future carbon taxes and environmental regulations while meeting consumer demand for responsible solutions.

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THE UPCYCL

NEVER HEARD OF NEW WASTE?

New Waste is, as the name suggests, entirely unused materials.

It comes from large-scale production, so it's always high quality, consistent and reliable. In other words, a largely untapped treasure trove for designers, producers and creators of all kinds.

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THE UPCYCL

THE SUPPLIERS Supply members of THE UPCYCL are manufacturing companies that contribute by sharing their surplus materials—waste generated through industrial processes.

These companies join THE UPCYCL driven by a commitment to minimizing their industrial waste. Through their membership, these materials become available for other member companies to repurpose, turning waste into a valuable resource.

At THE UPCYCL, we refer to these materials as New Waste. For many manufacturers, optimizing production to completely eliminate such waste is challenging, as it often results from processes that are fundamental to their operations. This type of waste is both consistent and predictable, a phenomenon that the AAU Design Lab at Aalborg University identifies as “Statistically Predictable Waste”. By analyzing and quantifying these waste streams, companies gain the opportunity to develop solutions tailored to the consistent flow of these materials, ensuring they are effectively utilized.

In the 12 Designs for Circularity project, these “industrial-symbiosis” (Clean, 2024) are created between companies that produce these steady waste streams and those capable of repurposing them. The project shows how THE UPCYCL’s circular business model unfolds in practice among its member companies.

HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE SUPPLIERS IN THIS PROJECT AS THEY SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON REDUCING WASTE VOLUMES, COLLABORATING WITH THE UPCYCL, AND CREATING INDUSTRIALSYMBIOSES. TOGETHER, WE ARE TRANSFORMING WASTE INTO A VALUABLE RESOURCE, EXTENDING ITS LIFECYCLE, AND COLLECTIVELY MOVING HIGHER UP THE WASTE HIERARCHY. THE UPCYCL - Page 4

THE UPCYCL

WHAT DO THE SUPPLIERS SAY? JEVI - MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRICAL HEATING SOLUTIONS “Like almost all other industrial companies, Jevi has experienced massive price increases in raw materials. However, what is currently an even greater challenge is actually obtaining materials. This, in my opinion, highlights the need for and the benefits of thinking in a circular manner. Through our membership with THE UPCYCL, we have gained inspiration to formalize our secondary sorting process and also to explore other possibilities within our production”.

– Tommy Christensen, CEO, Jevi

LINDAB - MANUFACTURE OF SOLUTIONS FOR VENTILATION "At Lindab, we work hard to find new ways to recycle our materials. That’s why we participate in projects like this, where we give new life to what others would discard.”

– Henio Juhl, Managing Director, Lindab

PFP - MANUFACTURE OF CUSTOM-MADE COUNTERTOPS “For many years, we have focused on reducing the amount of waste and leftovers. We have achieved this through process optimization using the machinery we have implemented. So, we have actually reached a relatively low level. However, there will always be some offcuts and leftover materials, and that's where THE UPCYCL can assist us in dealing with the remaining waste materials we have. They have helped us get to where we want to be”.

– Claus Christiansen, Factory Manager, PFP A/S THE UPCYCL - Page 5

THE UPCYCL

WHAT DO THE SUPPLIERS SAY? STOKO PLAST - MANUFACTURE OF PLASTIC COMPONENTS “We may have to reject a panel due to a tiny imperfection or some other flaw in an inconvenient spot. As a result, almost a square meter of this material can be used elsewhere. We have been involved in THE UPCYCL for quite a while now, and I find it to be an exciting journey. In our network, the goal is to find these valuable things that don't need to be discarded or recycled because we skip many steps by upcycling the product instead of recycling it.

It makes a lot of sense for your CO2 footprint”.

– Steffen Clemmensen, CEO , Stoko Plast A/S

SUPERWOOD - MANUFACTURE OF SUPERWOOD™ WOOD “Through our membership with THE UPCYCL,we have gained inspiration to formalize our secondary sorting process and also to explore other possibilities within our production” – Sofie Mora Kristensen, Group Sustainability Manager, Superwood

“When we say that we make the world's best board, we start by buying the best wood we can find. However, when it goes through the planer, some flaws typically occur, such as fallen knots, resulting in a significant number of boards being rejected, which is far too valuable to simply label as ‘waste’.

We look for ways to utilize this waste so that it can be used sensibly.”

– Ole Dalsgård Nielsen, Managing Director, Superwood

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THE UPCYCL

WHAT DO THE SUPPLIERS SAY? KLINGER - GASKET INDUSTRY “We may have to reject a panel due to a tiny imperfection or some other flaw in an inconvenient spot. As a result, almost a square meter of this material can be used elsewhere. We have been involved in THE UPCYCL for quite a while now, and I find it to be an exciting journey. In our network, the goal is to find these valuable things that don't need to be discarded or recycled because we skip many steps by upcycling the product instead of recycling it.

It makes a lot of sense for your CO2 footprint”.

– Niels Højensgaard, Production Team Manager, Klinger Denmark

SALLING AUTOGENBRUG - AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY "We have a mission to reduce the waste percentage in car scrapping. We achieve this by extracting all residual materials before the car is scrapped.

However, for this to be a profitable business for us, it is essential that these residual materials can be sold to customers beyond our own. That is why our collaboration with THE UPCYCL is incredibly important, as their community allows us to reach customers outside the automotive industry."

– Lise Korsgaard, Sustainability Manager, Salling Autogenbrug

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THE UPCYCL

12 DESIGNS FOR CIRCULARITY

In "12 Designs for Circularity", 12 innovative design companies will create designs using New Waste materials from 12 participating manufacturing companies. The result? A stunning collection set to launch in 2025.

"12 Designs for Circularity" is a value chain project and part of Denmark’s largest circular economy program, “Closing Loops”.

"Closing Loops" receives co-financing from the EU and the Danish Board of Business and is spearheaded by leading clusters including Lifestyle & Design Cluster, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark, WE BUILD DENMARK, and Clean.

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THE UPCYCL

PROGRESS SO FAR

12 value chains have been established between suppliers and design companies.This was achieved through speeddating and matchmaking events, where suppliers and designers met to find the perfect match between New Waste materials and design ideas.

THE UPCYCL was at Loop Forum 2024, where we shared the “12 Designs for Circularity” project.

The development of 12 prototype designs is underway.

Following the matches, a series of material-focused workshops were held, where participants experimented with New Waste materials. Based on this, each of the 12 designers has created a prototype.

NEXT STEPS Launch event in spring/early summer 2025:

Designers will continue refining their prototypes, with the final designs ready by early summer 2025. At this point, we will launch 12 unique designs, all made from New Waste materials —materials that would otherwise have ended up as waste but now have a new life.

Sharing the project’s results with the world:

We will communicate the outcomes and insig hts f rom the p ro j ec t to inspire others to embrace circular solutions.

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