By Upcycle Exchange founder, Autumn Wiggins

The Upcycle Exchange was conceived as a pilot program aimed at initiating a cradle-to-cradle inspired production concept for the indie craft community. The basic premise is that customers can receive incentives, such as discounts on merchandise or other perks, when they gather and submit materials that crafters use to create handmade merchandise. Micro-manufacturers have formed a vast network both on the internet and in their communities over the past 10 years, and have enjoyed an explosion of popularity through local events and online shops. In light of the endlessly varied aesthetic tastes and resourcefulness of these well-connected cottage industries, I think they exhibit a huge potential to absorb over-consumption, and serve as a model for producing more sustainable domestic goods.

As head writer for Crafting a Green World, I researched many issues facing crafters who aim to create sustainable merchandise. I noticed a lot of strain involved in finding consistent sources for the post-consumer supplies they were seeking. Many were spending a lot of time and money scouring thrift stores, or settling for new materials. I set out to devise a scalable, low-cost, web-based system to have supplies brought to them.

UE started out in 2009 as an ad-hoc self-contained activity within a circuit of St. Louis area craft shows. Crafters would submit their wish-lists before each show, which were then compiled, published, and promoted along with the event. At the show, UE would collect empty boxes from participating crafters, which were labeled with their names and individual lists, and set up a drop-off and sorting station near the entrance. The Wish-lists were an interesting mixture of unique requests, such as license plates or road maps, and commonly used materials, like fabric and yarn. As supplies came in, unique requests were sorted into the participants’ boxes, and common supplies were displayed on tables. At the end of the event, participants would pick up their boxes, now filled with the specific items they asked for, and choose from a variety of common supplies to suite their tastes. Often there was an abundance of common supplies, and other artists from the show were invited to take home any leftovers. This worked well for a year, with very little left over in the end, until Upcycle began getting more well-known, and donations increased beyond our capacity to sort and distribute during the events.

In 2010, Upcycle got it’s first “headquarters” – still operating part-time, now as a club, that could collect donations and take them to a central location to sort and distribute at leisure. Various complications arose out of space-sharing with other programs, but we finally found an affordable, dedicated space in which to sort and store supplies in the basement of Cherokee St. boutique, Peridot. We were enrolling members and publishing a Wish-list every 3 months for over a year. Each member had a box in the basement for unique requests, and common supplies were sorted out to shelves.

The program was becoming immensely popular, catering up to 40 artists at a time, and with the addition of 5 area small businesses serving as drop-off locations, ever abundant with supplies. Up to this point, very little money was involved. We were able to utilize the Wish-list to acquire most physical items we needed for the program. Members payed a very small fee to cover rent, gas for pick-ups, and website hosting. However, I found myself in a pickle with the program growing beyond hobby status in terms of the amount of time I was spending on it. Some suggested becoming a non-profit, but that just didn’t jive with my initial intention to open-source the operating procedures. It would mean an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy, among other complications. I wanted the crafters to spend their time crafting, not worrying about having to volunteer to help with the program. Opening a store seemed more logical, but I did not want to disturb the balance of the “Exchange” – where Upcycling had incentives, like discounts on locally handmade goods. Many people who drop off supplies are content just knowing that these materials are going to be re-engineered creatively into something useful. I wanted to ensure that making them available to the public would benefit underprivileged artists, who may lack the resources to acquire supplies.

The Upcycle Exchange {Materials Market} is a business model that combines principles of social enterprise with pay-as-you-like pricing and open source franchising.
I’ve worked to create a “boutique” feel that gives the materials dignity and honors the beautiful location we’ve chosen. Suggested prices are posted under two categories, volume and weight. We continue to publish a Wish-list, and will expand our efforts to collect materials and provide outstanding incentives to anyone who drops-off supplies. Memberships are available for artists, based on observations from their range of involvement over the last 2 years.

So, the experiment continues! I have heard from many crafters in other cities who want to start their own Upcycle Exchange, and more than anything I’d like to see that happen. I’ve always intended to open-source the program, but once you start one, it’s hard to close the flood gates. I want to make sure to account for as many contingencies as possible. Luckily, we’ve tried the program in many situations, and I think running it a store is going to be the icing on the cake (hence, the open-source franchise aspect). In the coming months, I’ll be working on a website called UpcycleOS, which will facilitate the free distribution of operating procedures.