Sustainability
Using and reusing what Mother Earth gives us
So long as it remains unfired, clay itself is infinitely recyclable and in fact improves in handling with re-use.
Using a traditional practice dating back to ancient China and Japan, many of our glazes are based on wood ash, which we source from home stoves, the oil-drum fires at The Pitt Street Market and wood-fired pizza ovens.
As well as the products we create, we also make sure that our working environment is as sustainable as possible. The Pottery workshop was furbished using almost entirely reclaimed wood and fittings. Tables, units and shelving were constructed from pallet wood, salvaged bed bases and scaffold boards, with contributions from Move On Wood Recycling. Sinks and fittings were scavenged from skips.
We also collect and incinerate scrap wood from local trades. We only use ‘clean’ wood and avoid composites containing glues and painted or varnished woods.
Quality and sustainability
The oldest clay pots found to date are more than 20,000 years old. This is how long items made out of clay can last.
Our work is high-fired stoneware and, as such, is more robust (and unique) than commercially produced tableware. It is therefore much less likely to chip or break in everyday use and will last much longer (forever, if you’re careful!) thereby reducing waste.
Covid and sustainability
In response to the massive, Covid fuelled increase in the use of hand-washes and thereby the creation of huge numbers of empty plastic containers, we have produced ceramic soap dishes to encourage the use of traditional soap bars as an alternative to products supplied in throw-away plastic bottles.
We currently supply Lather and Smudge, a traditional, Scotland-based artisan soap maker.
We also offer butter bells. Butter is generally acknowledged to be a healthier product than margarines and is supplied in paper or foil wrapping rather than disposable plastic tubs.
