As part of Hipcycle’s continuing efforts to provide quality information about upcycling, I present to you our (hopefully annual) list of 5 top people in the upcycling industry. Note I did not write “top 5” people, as I am not implying that this is a ranking and that one person is more important than another or that people not on this list are less important than those on it. Rather, this is simply a list of 5 people that have caught my attention and are an inspiration to me.
1) Dan Phillips: Dan, through his company Phoenix Commotion, builds houses out of found materials, and they are as thought-provoking as they are stunningly beautiful. I first learned of Dan in a New York Times article from a couple of years ago. The detail of his designs and the pure patience of gathering enough materials of a certain sort is amazing. For example, he created a ceiling in one of his homes from frame shop framing samples. I have a picture of the roof of his “storybook house,” which is made from discarded roofing shingles of various colors, on the wall in my office. And Dan’s Ted Talk is quite mind-blowing; definitely worth 18 minutes of your time.
2) Piet Hein Eek: A Dutch designer who has dedicated much of his career to re-using materials to create amazing designs. He has described some of his work as being his “reaction against the prevalent craving for flawlessness. I wanted to show that products that aren't perfect still can appeal to our sense of aesthetic and functionality.” Totally and completely, this comment is a major Inspiration for Hipcycle. I’m particularly a fan of his “Tubes Chair” series. He’s pieces are quite expensive, so aren’t obvious candidates for the upcoming Hipcycle store, but he is globally admired, and so serves as a great ambassador for upcycling.
3) Tom Szaky: Tom is the founder and CEO of Terracycle, located just down the road from the Hipcycle HQ in Trenton, NJ. Tom’s story has been well reported: he dropped out of Princeton 10 years ago to start a company dedicated to making plant fertilizer out of worm poop, which he packaged in used plastic soda bottles. In the years since, he has built a multi-million-dollar company that is all about diverting materials from landfills. Terracycle makes dozens of different products, has gotten major involvement from leading retailers and consumer-packaged goods companies, and set up programs to get millions of people (including lots of kids) involved in collecting waste materials to be made into new products. Bravo! And his “You’re the Boss” blog on the NY Times website is quite fantastic.
4&5) Gary Peck & Scott Hamlin: These two apparel industry vets started Looptworks in 2009. The company takes overrun or otherwise discarded material from clothing factories around the world and makes it into durable and really sharp-looking products. Sound like a tiny niche? Not really, when you consider that Americans generate more than 11.8 million tons of textile waste a year, and that one factory can dispose of 60,000 pounds of textile waste a week that goes into landfills. Look for the stylish new Hipcycle t-shirt printed on Looptworks Ts in the coming weeks.
Candidates for a future list? Comments about this list? Let me know in the comments below.
2 Responses
Great blog post! I commend these folks on their commitment to creating a better earth for us all.... and you, too, of course!
July 22, 2011 at 11:43 am
I like the article. These companies are really helping reduce the volume entering the landfills. I think there will be many more companies starting up this type of work. We need to spread the word.
October 6, 2011 at 9:23 pm