Retailers are going beyond recycling to introduce upcycled products, so as to go beyond reusing old products to turn them into value-added merchandise.

Hyundai Department Store Co. used old banners displayed on the outer walls of the store for advertisement and promotion to make upcycled bags, which are available at its online shopping portal.

The old banners go through high-temperature washing, drying and coating to be used as the outer fabric of a bag. Hyundai Department Store said that the process has already contributed to the reduction of 2.3 tons of carbon emissions.

Lotte Chilsung Beverages Co. collected plastic water bottles to create eco-friendly uniforms, giving them out to some 3,000 employees working at 145 local sellers.

A total of 18 plastic bottles were used to make a single uniform. The company used 54,000 plastic bottles to save 707 kilograms of plastic.

The upcycling trend is also sweeping across the fashion and beauty industry. LF opened L:Earth, an exclusive shop for selling products that contribute to the environment and social sustainability to sell bags made with truck covers and other upcycled products.

Amorepacific Corp. introduced flooring materials and furniture made with crushed plastic cosmetic bottles and ultra-high-performance concrete.