Creating treasure from waste

The Resee store sells around 4,000 products from at least 300 brands, some of which are upcycled labels like Freitag and UseDem. Photos provided to China Daily

Tapping into the sustainability trend in China

Freitag has more than 10 distributors in China with Resee being the largest at the moment. Thellier said that the brand is also trying to ride the sustainability trend in the country by expanding to second- and third-tier cities within the next two to three years.

“More Chinese consumers are becoming aware of upcycling and the need to protect the environment, so I think it is the right time for Freitag to introduce our products to the China market,” said Thellier.

The Chinese government has in the past few years been advocating the sustainable development of the nation and has set several goals related to this, including the one which involves having 5 million electric vehicles on the nation’s roads by 2020.

Most recently in April this year, the government released the China’s Position Paper on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasized the importance of developing a circular economy, cultivating awareness of green consumption and promoting the lifestyle of thrift.

But it is not just the foreigners who have been keen to get a slice of the action. Chinese designers too have been eager to promote the upcycling movement. Nicole Teng, the founder of Brut Cake, is one such individual.