Downcycling

The term downcycling refers to a recycling process in which recycled materials or products are turned into new materials of lower quality or value than the original. Although less well known than conventional recycling or upcycling, it plays an important role in waste management and carbon footprint reduction.

What is downcycling?

Downcycling, also called cascade recycling, is a process in which recycled materials are repurposed to create lower-quality or lower-value products.

For example, plastic bottles can be downcycled into textile fibres for clothing, but those fibres cannot be turned back into bottles. While this helps reduce waste, it has limits in terms of long-term sustainability, as materials eventually lose their usability and end up as waste.

The concept was popularised by architects William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle, where they argue that this type of recycling is not ideal because it shortens the useful life of materials. Even so, it is a better option than landfilling or incineration, as it reduces the extraction of natural resources and the associated emissions.

Downcycling vs. conventional recycling and upcycling

To understand downcycling, it helps to compare it with other approaches:

• Conventional recycling: collecting and processing discarded materials into new products similar to the original. For example, recycled glass can become new glass bottles.
• Upcycling: repurposing materials to create higher-quality or higher-value products, such as turning used tyres into furniture or decorative items.

Downcycling sits between these two extremes: it allows material reuse but with a progressive loss of quality and functionality. This degradation limits the number of times a material can be recycled before it becomes waste.

Downcycling and the carbon footprint

Downcycling has clear implications for reducing the carbon footprint. While less effective than conventional recycling or upcycling, it is still a useful tool for lowering greenhouse gas emissions:

• Reduces resource extraction: reusing existing materials lowers the need to extract and process raw materials, cutting emissions.
• Diverts waste from landfill: it helps keep materials out of landfills, where certain waste releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Lowers energy use: although downcycling requires energy, it generally uses less than producing new materials from scratch.

However, it is not a perfect solution. The loss of material quality means that, eventually, the materials become non-recyclable waste, limiting their contribution to the circular economy.

The role of downcycling in the circular economy

The circular economy seeks to maximise resource reuse and minimise waste. Within this framework, downcycling plays an intermediate role:

• It does not fully close the material lifecycle.
• But it extends material use and reduces the need for virgin resources.

To achieve true circularity, downcycling should be combined with other strategies, such as closed-loop recycling and product design that enhances recyclability. For example, a company using recycled plastic could set up a collection system to ensure its products are continuously recycled rather than discarded.

Examples of downcycling

• Plastics: recycled plastics are often turned into lower-quality products, such as textile fibres or construction materials.
• Paper: paper quality degrades with each cycle, eventually usable only for cardboard or packaging paper.
• Metals: while metals can often be recycled in a closed loop, some processes degrade their quality, resulting in less valuable products.

How businesses can manage downcycling's impact

For companies, downcycling presents both challenges and opportunities. The loss of material quality can limit usability, but using recycled materials, even of lower quality, can reduce emissions and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. One way to manage its impact is through strategic analysis of Scope 3 emissions and material flows.

At Manglai we help companies measure their carbon footprint and prepare their sustainability reporting, identifying opportunities to optimise the use of recycled materials. Discover how Manglai can help you.