Precycling vs. Recycling vs. Upcycling: What’s the Difference (and Why We Care)

Let’s talk about scraps—yes, the ones left over after we cut out your favourite kaftans, nighties, and sleep shirts. 

At The Sleep Shirt, we focus on making the most out of our fabrics. We use high-quality materials that we really don’t want to waste—and that’s where the idea behind our Precycle Collection comes in. We’re talking napkins, totes, scarves, and more, all made from leftover fabric that would otherwise sit in a bin or end up in the landfill.

You’ve probably heard words like recycling, upcycling, and precycling tossed around, especially in the world of sustainable fashion. Here’s what they actually mean—and how we put them to use.

Precycling: The Gold Standard

Precycling is a preventative approach—thinking ahead to avoid waste before it even exists. For us, that means planning our patterns and cutting layouts carefully to squeeze out every last inch of usable fabric. It’s about being smart from the start—so there’s less to throw away in the first place.

That’s how our Precycle Collection was born: from scraps that never became waste, because we designed with them in mind from the beginning. This is our favourite way to work with leftover fabric—because it’s sustainable and beautiful.

Recycling: Still Good, But Not Perfect

Recycling comes in when something has already been thrown away. It involves breaking old things down—like turning worn-out textiles into insulation or new yarn. It's better than trashing stuff but it often takes a lot of energy and usually doesn’t result in the same quality as the original material.

We love the idea of recycling, but we’d rather keep our lovely linens and cottons intact if we can help it.

Upcycling: Creative and Resourceful

Upcycling is all about turning existing items into something new and fabulous—without breaking them down. Think: turning an old shirt into a tote bag, or a dress into a cushion cover.

Technically, when we take leftover fabric and turn it into small things like napkins or scarves, that’s upcycling. But because we’re doing it before the fabric becomes waste, it’s actually a little more than that—it’s precycling and upcycling in one.

In short:

Recycling = breaking things down and starting over
Upcycling = turning something old into something better
Precycling = designing smart so there’s no waste to begin with

We love our fabrics too much to let them go to waste. With the Precycle Collection, we're making sure every last bit of our beautiful natural fabrics find a place in your home, not a landfill.