Creative Upcycling
Lately, we have been hearing a lot about sustainability and we wanted to know the difference between recycling, downcycling and upcycling. Well, most of us have been familiar with recycling for years. Many businesses support and active
ly implement a recycling program in their place of work usually consisting or collecting empty aluminum cans, empty plastic bottles and newspapers. More and more we are made aware of a recycled product on the market, like a pair or running shoes whose sole contains material from 5 plastic bottles.
Recycling involves converting or extracting useful materials from a product and creating a different product or material. Downcycling is half of the recycling process and is the opposite of upcycling. Downcycling involves converting materials and pro
ducts into new materials of lesser quality. Upcycling, is then the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of equal or better quality.
ducts into new materials of lesser quality. Upcycling, is then the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of equal or better quality.While both of these forms are important, our focus is on one such company involved in upcycling products, Dohm-Icebox, located in Longmont, Colorado.
Now in their 16th year, they still strive to create exceptionally high quality knit hats, but also handcrafted accessories and home décor. They attribute their growth to 
their commitment to quality craftsmanship, material, the environment and their local community.
their commitment to quality craftsmanship, material, the environment and their local community.Dohm-Icebox uses antique knitting and sewing machines (powered by hand) in creating their unique collections each year. All hats are knitted with highly prized merino wool or wool mohair blend yarns which give its superior appeal.
Now, back to upcycling. Alongside their Dohm Collection, you’ll find the Xob Collection (pronounced ZOB or BOX spelled backwards) which is their upcycled collection. These items are handcrafted from upcycled wool / wool blend sweaters and accented with boucle’ yarn which gives it its own unique flare. In addition, Xob Suit Cap and 5-Piece Fatigue caps are crafted from recycled woolen suits. Call them fun, funky, unique – we take our “hat” off to Dohm-Icebox for their crea
tive upcycling program.
tive upcycling program.
We really don’t consider this a “program”, a representative of Dohm-Icebox explains. We started the Xob Collection back in 2007 as a way to lessen the waste of the trimmings from our Dohm Line. With that idea we started going
to local thrift stores to buy sweaters. Our product demand has grown beyond what we could have imaged. The drop off for sweaters was an afterthought and has not produced a lot of sweaters to meet this demand so we continue to go to the thrift industry. We advertised it on our web site and during our sale. Plans are to get info more out to the community as a goodwill effort. We accept gently used sweaters at our factory Monday –Friday 9-5PM . For each one received we will donate $1 to Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette who provides services to East Boulder County families in need. It was one of the first places we went to get sweaters, even in the summer. They are very supportive of helping us and are appreciative of our efforts.
to local thrift stores to buy sweaters. Our product demand has grown beyond what we could have imaged. The drop off for sweaters was an afterthought and has not produced a lot of sweaters to meet this demand so we continue to go to the thrift industry. We advertised it on our web site and during our sale. Plans are to get info more out to the community as a goodwill effort. We accept gently used sweaters at our factory Monday –Friday 9-5PM . For each one received we will donate $1 to Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette who provides services to East Boulder County families in need. It was one of the first places we went to get sweaters, even in the summer. They are very supportive of helping us and are appreciative of our efforts.Factory 303.485.7112
Direct 303.549.2961
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