Creative Ways To Upcycle In Your Office

In an effort to do their part in preserving the world for generations to come, many companies are implementing more eco-friendly ways of conducting business. One popular and simple method used by many is upcycling. Read on to learn more about what it means to upcycle and get a few tips on how to do it in your own workspace.

What Is Upcycling?

Upcycling is an eco-friendly practice of reusing something in a way that makes it even better than it was originally either by use or design. It usually involves finding new ways to use items that are no longer used or headed for the junk yard, giving them a second life.

Interested in trying it out but don’t know where to begin? Here are a few ideas for upcycling your office and how to begin the process.

How To Upcycle Items In Your Office

You can acquire upcycled items by finding things around your home or office, receiving hand-me-downs from friends and family, or going out and purposefully shopping for them at resale shops.

To start, take a look around your office and make note of things you need and things that need updating. Then, take inventory of items that are collecting dust or sitting in the trash pile. Cross check your two lists and see where your unused items can serve a need you may have. Once you find all the ways to give those items a second life, peruse your local thrift stores, flea markets or yard sales for any other needs you may have before you buy new.

Here are some ideas for upcycling a few common items you may find in your office:

Old manuals or documents: Decoupage a desk or create a bouquet of origami paper flowers from pages of outdated manuals or old business documents – that don’t contain private information, of course.

Unused tacks: Update a table, desk or other hard furniture piece by adding a nail head trim design made from unused thumbtacks.

Books collecting dust: To add character to your storage options, create floating shelves using old books. Glue the book shut, secure a bracket to the book and install it on the wall with the book’s spine facing out.

Wine corks: If you have wine corks left over from an event or collected from home, glue them together to create a unique cork board to host company flyers, business cards or other documents.

Old office doors and windows: Old wooden doors can make the perfect large desktop with added character, while old windows can be fashioned into an office whiteboard.

Unused wooden crates: Wooden crates can instantly add a trendy farmhouse vibe to your interior decor. Reuse them as shelves, as additional storage or as risers for computer monitors.

Old company T-shirts: If you have a plethora of company shirts from company picnics, sporting events, rebranding, etc., use them as a decorative piece that shows off your company’s culture and history. Frame old T-shirts and hang them on the wall or sew them together to create throw blankets for chilly days in the office.

Why Upcycle?

While upcycling may take some extra time and effort, it can help keep still-viable items from taking up space in landfills. As an added bonus, upcycling can also save your business money and add a little character to your office interior. Don’t forget to share photos of your upcycling projects to your social media accounts. It’s a smart way to show your clients you’re thinking about your community and the environment, and you can provide upcycling ideas to your clients and partners.