Ash, Clamshell, Quartz sand

From The Ashes

Glass is often seen as sustainable because it can seemingly endlessly recycled.

In addition to unmanageable energy consumption, problematic ingredients are required to make glass. Limestone, which has only a limited availability, is mined in gigantic mines. Alongside soda, the availability of which is changing dramatically due to climate change.

'From the Ashes' explored alternative supply chains, by using waste: Wood ash from pizza bakeries and clamshells from seafood restaurants. These renewable raw materials are available in large quantities in many cities and are usually thrown away.

The increasingly scarce material quartz sand has not yet been replaced. In contrast to concrete and other high consumers, glass can be recycled endlessly. It can even be ground to sand again, which means that the material is in a closed cycle if the additives are harmless. Unfortunately, many glasses are not.

Making process

The waste is collected from local restaurants and prepared by Studio Peipei. Further productions are made with several glass blowers.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.