We started Other Supply Lab out of a love for ceramic craft and the environment.
The ceramic industry relies heavily on finite natural raw materials that are fast depleting. Worst still, the extraction of these raw materials leads to lasting negative ecological and social impacts. On the other hand, up to 63,000 tonnes of glass waste are sent to the landfill each year due to a lack of local infrastructure for glass recycling. For us, the first step to sustainable ceramic craft is to substitute the raw materials used. By seeing the large amount of glass waste as an abundant resource, our first launch converts glass waste into an alternative supply for making ceramic glaze.
COLLECT
Today, like every other day, more than 170,000kg of glass is headed for the landfill. But with a little help, some of them will end up in our studio.
From a network of local bars and restaurants, we gather an array of glass bottles. Partnering factories of glass suppliers like Synergraphics, we attain our most steady supply–glass offcuts. And through chance encounters, we come upon the occasional broken glass door or window.
CRUSH
Here’s where things get a little messier. And a lot noisier.
With a hammer in hand, we strike at shards of glass off-cuts until they break into smaller fragments. With the support of kindred innovators like Terra Sol, we have an easier time crushing glass bottles. Their Expleco bottle crusher reduces our glass bottles into glass sand in seconds. They are then fed into our in-house ball mill, where ceramic balls churn and grind them into a powderized form, down to 1 micron or less.
At last, old refuse has become a new raw material.
FORMULATE
Bind, fire, record, refine and repeat.
As our glass comes from different sources, the resulting glaze can be unpredictable. We quickly realised consistency can only be achieved with constant testing. Finally, after months of trial and error, we formulated base glazes of various temperature and finishes (Matt, Satin, Gloss & Crystallite), giving us the freedom and control to create a wide range of colours and textures. Glaze with confidence and purpose for your next project.