Upcycling is the process of repurposing discarded materials into new products of higher value, and holds significant potential for sustainable waste management. This thesis explores the challenges and opportunities involved in expanding upcycling practices in the city of Stockholm, with a specific focus on craft classes in public schools. The goal of the study is to identify key success factors and propose strategies for scaling up upcycling initiatives. A mixed method approach, including literature review, semi-structured stakeholder interviews, attitude surveys, and material flow analysis, was employed to gather insights and data. The findings reveal various challenges within the upcycling value chain, such as the need for efficient collecting processes, limited storage space, and financial feasibility. Despite the sechallenges, the research identifies several success factors, including cost-effectiveness, regulatory support, and the availability of discarded materials. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of upcycling practices in public schools’ craft class and provides valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and practitioners seeking to implement and expand sustainable waste management strategies. By addressing the identified challenges and leveraging the opportunities, upcycling practices can be effectively integrated into public school curricula, fostering environmental consciousness and promoting a circular economy mindset among students. / Upcycling är förädlingsprocessen att återanvända avfall för att skapa mer värdefulla produkter. Det har en betydande potential för hållbar avfallshantering. Detta examensarbete undersöker svårigheterna och möjligheterna med att bredda metoderna för upcycling i Stockholms stad, med särskild uppmärksamhet på hantverkskurser som erbjuds av offentliga skolor. Målet med studien är att identifiera avgörande faktorer för framgång och ge förslag på metoder för att öka storleken på ett upcycling-projekt. För att inhämta information och data användes en blandning av tekniker, som inkluderade litteraturgenomgångar, semistrukturerade intervjuer av intressenter, attitydundersökningar och materialflödesanalyser. Resultatet visar på flera utmaningar inom värdekedjan för upcycling, inklusive krävande insamlingsprocedurer, begränsat lagringsutrymme samt villkoren för ekonomisk genomförbarhet. Trots dessa brister och utmaningar avslöjar denna studie även flera framgångsfaktorer. Dessa inkluderar kostnadseffektivitet, kommunalt stöd samt tillgången till avfall. Sammantaget bidrar denna studie till förståelsen av återanvändningsmetoder i offentliga skolorshantverkskurser och ger värdefulla insikter för beslutsfattare, utbildare samt andra praktiserande som vill implementera och utöka strategier för hållbar avfallshantering. Genom att ta itu med de påvisade utmaningarna och utnyttja möjligheterna kan praxis för upcycling effektivt integreras i den offentliga skolans läroplaner, öka miljömedvetenheten och slutligen främja ett tankesätt för cirkulärekonomi bland skoleleverna.

The textile industry is considered one of the most challenging industries when it comes to environmental pollution just after the oil industry. It has a huge impact on water pollution and resource consumption in terms of fiber production. Recently sustainability in cotton fiber production is questioned due to the huge uses of land, water, a large number of pesticides, and a significant amount of energy during cultivation. When it comes to cellulosic pulp production, currently fibrous plant material is used which is mainly wood. So, recycling of cellulosic textiles is considered the only option to reduce this impact. The recycling company Renewcell is launching a large-scale plant for cellulosic fiber recycling which is located in Sweden and will use the post-industrial textile waste as one of its feedstocks. The purpose of this research is to analyze the barriers and drivers for collecting this post-industrial textile waste from the garment manufacturing countries to Sweden and analyze the available collaborative business model alternatives. This study was performed by a qualitative study where primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by thematic analysis. The data was collected among four stakeholders within this value chain which are the fashion brands, recyclers, garment manufacturers, and waste handlers. The finding shows that this sector is very informal and is yet to be formalized. The external informal influence was identified throughout the value chain as a non-value-added activity.  And the involvement of fashion brands was identified as one of the drivers. Several collaborative business models are discussed considering their applicability in different contextual situations. This analysis was discussed based on the seven themes which were generated during the thematic analysis and later discussed with the current empirical study and theoretical background. Collaboration between the recycler, traders, brands, and the textile manufacturers were discussed in different dimensions such as direct collaboration and logistic partnership approach. Then the research limitation was discussed in both methodological and research contexts followed by future research recommendations.