gabarage upcycling design

Young former drug addicts find an attractive employment opportunity in a fashionable market segment in the Vienna-based social enterprise, gabarage upcycling design, where creative designer goods are manufactured using environmentally friendly processes out of waste materials from industry and businesses. The synergy that is achieved from the combination of social responsibility, ecology, and design is of great help to young former drug addicts in their integration (into employment), but also, for example, to anyone looking for a funky bag! In 2008, the swimmer Markus Rogan became patron of gabarage upcycling design in addition to his existing role as patron of the SozialMarie awards that year. One effect of the media attention that resulted from the prize and Markus Rogan’s patronage was that it was possible to expand the programme. The number of employees was increased in 2009*.