UpZent

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Trier University of Applied Sciences - the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) has been operating an upcycling center since 2016, which closes material cycles through the use of commercial residual materials and seeks to establish a circular economy based on solidarity and equality. The combination of professional product design (under the responsibility of K8 - the Institute for Strategic Aesthetics) and work with long-term job seekers and migrants (in the partner workshops AQA gGmbH, FAUK e.V.), allows something new to emerge, which puts people at the center and at the same time creates aesthetically pleasing products from residual materials.

In "UPZENT", this project approach is transferred into a transferable business model that allows socially active workshops to participate nationwide. In this way, we create a combination of ecology, social commitment and economy - a round thing.

In terms of the circular economy, the goal is to establish a sustainable cascade through the conversion and valorization of commercial residual materials on a regional level, which takes place in constant dialog with companies, recyclers and consumers. The tool for this is a cycle-oriented and aesthetically pleasing product design. This requires a transsectoral cooperation of different actors along the entire product life cycle, starting from product design, through manufacturing, to use and recycling. Regular workshops with design students as future designers provide a lasting illustration of the serious potential hidden in commercial waste materials.

The UPZENT product range is manufactured exclusively by socially active workshops that focus on people. There, different needs are actively addressed and both qualified and integrated, so that socially disadvantaged people have easier access to the primary labor market.

The further development of the upcycling center into a self-supporting business model makes it possible to transfer it to other regions and can promote the system change towards a socially responsible recycling economy.