The Ideas Factory

It’s safe to say that more often than not, the clothes that we buy should probably be costing us more. If you properly factor in staff, overheads like rent, materials and global transportation, the price of a simple sweatshirt should be (a lot) more than £10. We really need to consider the true cost of the clothes that we take for granted every day!

With global warming and #zerowaste at the forefront of our minds in 2019, we’re all becoming increasingly aware of the environmental footprint we are leaving. 

Use our easy guide to assess the sustainability of your skincare routine with easy swaps to ensure minimum environmental impact and maximum results!

The rumours are true. We need to do more to minimise waste, whether that’s recycling, reusing or remaking stuff from things that already exist.

New ideas and ways of thinking are required, so we've put together a list of handy tips and tools to help you promote a circular economy, just like us. Result!

Let’s be honest, many of us don’t do as much recycling as we could do.  It's not easy to recycle, especially when we don’t see the harmful effects of it, but it’s high time we all turned a little bit more green.

So we've created a handy, go-to recycling guide to make being eco-friendly easier for everyone, including what the recycling symbols mean and some helpful hints on how to recycle smarter.

Masala chai, or chai tea to many of us, is one of the most well-loved drinks in the world. Born in India as an ancient remedy to aches and pains, it is now the new cafe staple. But what is chai? How is it good for us?

Read on to find all about what health benefits chai holds and how we give residual chai spices a new lease of life.

Palm oil is one of the most widely used ingredients in the world, hiding away in everything from bread to shampoo. However, its use has made the news for all the wrong reasons, leading to more and more people jumping off the palm bandwagon. 

Read on to find out why palm oil is so controversial and what alternatives are out there. 

Hemp is still a mystery material to many people, associated with the kind of baskets carried around by aged hippies - but it's so much more than that. It's an amazing, sustainable and totally vegan material that we just love.

In this article, the UpCircle team are here to guide you into the unique world of hemp products.

It can often seem as though the world's gone a bit gloomy. Oil spills, smoke-spewing factories and unbearable temperatures forcing people to stock up on suncream. 

At UpCircle we think a different future is possible, a better future. So throw open your blinds and look out. The year is 2040, it's bright outside. Welcome to another possibility. 

The less coffee we waste the better. Fortunately, a number of clever companies have realised the great potential in leftover grounds.

Here at UpCircle, we’re fully on board with that message, and in the spirit of innovation, have lovingly compiled a list of a few of our faves.

Microbeads, remember them? They’re those tiny dots that were all the rage a few short years ago. Open virtually any facial cleanser and there they were, glittering in the bathroom light.

Why did they become so popular though? And, more importantly, why did they fall from grace?

In 2011 the first "organic water" hit the shelves of America, well and truly confirming the fact that people will, indeed buy anything. 

However, getting under the skin of organic labels shows that there's more than meets the eye, so come - have a peek with us.

Kermit the frog famously once sang “it’s not easy being green” and if you were to glance on over at any newspaper lying nearby you might be tempted to agree.

But it doesn't have to be that way - thanks to these tips.

In the UpCircle Food Waste Series we chat to some of our fave zero waste pioneers: third in the series we chatted with Chloe, founder of nibs etc., who make delicious crackers from juice pulp!

In our food waste blog series we will catch up with some of our fave zero waste pioneers! 

Second in the series we chatted with food waste Snactivists.

In our food waste blog series we will catch up with some of our fave zero waste pioneers! 

First up we chatted with Hannah McCollum, the founder of ChicP.

It's no secret that an awful lot of us absolutely love drinking coffee. However, unfortunately the coffee industry isn’t as green as we’d like it to be.

Find out more about how we at UpCircle are trying to make a change!

Discover the inspirational story behind UpCircle, started by a sibling pair with no prior experience in the industry.

Read the interview as they talk about where the idea came from, how they've grown the business and their plans for the future!