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30 May 2023
From constraint springs creativity… In a world of increasingly rare and precious resources, jewellery is being transformed to combine aesthetics, imagination and sustainability. We’re all familiar with recycling, but now upcycling is also becoming an essential part of the fashion and jewellery industry. It involves using old, worn or damaged materials and turning them into valuable new pieces. A strong consumer trend and a real benefit for the planet, upcycled jewellery is also inspiring designers.
Upcycling is the latest trend in fashion and jewellery. Consumers have realised the need to buy responsible products. Concerning France and according to Yougov Institute, demand for recycled clothing has risen by 117% year-on-year. At the same time, more than 1 in 2 French people intend to buy an upcycled product in the coming months (55%). Young people aged 18-34 are at the forefront of this trend, with 65% ready to make a purchase of this kind in the near future. Brands that have not begun their transition to sustainable fashion risk suffering an image problem in the coming years. A real hunt for brands that are greenwashing is also being organised on social networks. So it’s essential to be transparent and authentic in your approach to responsible manufacturing. At G-Silver, we’ve realised the importance of offering upcycling to our customers by making our production offcuts available.
It’s essential to be transparent and authentic in your approach to responsible manufacturing
In the fashion industry, studies show that reusing clothes saves between 90 and 95% of the energy needed to create new items. Today, the jewellery sector is also developing solutions to improve traceability and reduce the environmental impact of extracting and refining precious metals and stones. Many jewellery brands are carrying out carbon audits. At G-Silver, we have launched a plan to decarbonise our activities. This means identifying all the areas for optimisation, but also innovating with new ideas. Our jewellery and findings are made from 70% recycled silver, but upcycling goes even further than recycling. The piece is integrated into a new creation, reducing dependence on raw materials, contributing to zero waste and further reducing the carbon footprint of manufacturing. The perfect example of a virtuous circular economy for all concerned: the consumer buys a sustainable piece of jewellery designed by an innovative designer using low-carbon components.
Each piece of upcycled jewellery
tells a story and has several lives within it, making it
even more special
for those who wear it
Upcycling in jewellery offers a unique opportunity for designers to give free rein to their imagination. By working with reclaimed materials, designers can explore new shapes, colours and textures, and create truly unique pieces. Instead of buying new materials, jewellery designers use existing elements, such as beads, off-cuts from chains, pendants or even old coins, to make unique and personalised designs. At G-Silver we help our customers to incorporate upcycling into their collections by offering them co-creations using offcuts from our production lines. Each piece of upcycled jewellery tells a story and has several lives within it, making it even more special for those who wear it. The creative possibilities are endless. Would you like to embark on an upcycling adventure with us? Then get in touch.
