Katie Treggiden - Author of Wasted and Broken, podcaster and coach

Sarah K and Supercyclers - The Sustainablist Masterclass online workshop and How to Make Things for the World Sustainably book for designers and makers

Dr. Wendy Gers - Clean and Green Ceramics certification and resource page, coaching and Mud Matters talks

Sarah Howard - Ceramic designer and author of Circular Ceramics

Alternative Ceramics Supply - Australian based collective focused on second life materials, website coming soon

Fairphone Materials Research - Graphs demonstrating supply and demand, social and environmental challenges of many ceramic materials

Earrthworks - Dirty Metals PDF report on mining, communities and the environment

Clay Matters - Sustainability in Australian ceramics collective, pledge, Facebook group, open source material provenance project coming soon

Revival Sustainable Practice App- Surplus material app

Intersectional Environmentalist - Book by Leah Thomas

Outrage and Optimism - Climate change podcast

Yuliya Makliuk - Potters Save the World book and webinar recordings

NCECA Green Task Force - Through tenets of sustainability, community, and education the Green Task Force works to expand the capacity of all artists to engage in environmental stewardship

Caroline Cheng - Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast interview on upcycling ceramic waste into environmental design on a large scale

Guided by the circular economy principles, my aim is to keep objects and materials in use so they can be enjoyed as long as possible and avoid contributing to landfill.

Work for repairs or recycling can be delivered in-person or by post in exchange for a 30% discount code.

Recycled plastic components can be polished, or re-pressed and broken or chipped ceramics can be mended with kintsugi, the Japanese art of “golden joinery”. As a philosophy, kintsugi embraces the imperfect and honours the breakage as part of the history of the object opposed to trying to hide it. A ‘modern kintsugi’ repair is done in one day using epoxy and imitation gold dust. Traditional kintsugi takes one month to complete and is done in many stages over several weeks. It’s done using real gold dust and highly durable tree resin which must be cured in a humid container.

I offer repairs using traditional kintsugi methods and materials sourced from Japan. Please use the contact page to get a repair quote which will vary depending on the complexity of the break and the size of the object.

Damaged or broken objects that are no longer wanted can be returned for free recycling, they will be crushed into grog and used in new pieces.

I’ve been interested in supply chains since high-school, first through a deep dive on factory farming and animal cruelty, later through my career as a chef learning the importance of local ingredients and farming practices and now as a ceramicist I’m focused on the same things. Unfortunately ceramic materials can’t be grown, they are non-renewable and are mined. I started learning about mining and the social and environmental issues that surround it, like the destruction of ecosystems, toxic waste, pollution, and human rights allegations (especially in artisanal mines overseas) about child labour, forced labour and stolen land to name a few. One of the biggest challenges for makers who want to make ethical material choices is that in Australia ceramic supply stores don't label materials with origins so it's difficult or sometimes impossible to trace materials.

This combined with the knowledge of how much material is wasted in my communities led me to focus on trying to eliminate as many commercial materials as possible in my work by replacing them with local by-products or surplus. By-products created during my production are collected and recycled back into a closed loop system. The experimentation required excites me and its a welcome continuation from my cooking experience.

The ‘waste’ materials or maybe better named by-products, surplus, recycled or second life materials I use most in my work are food waste shells, glass, ceramic sink sludge/sink trap waste, plastic clay bags, rock industry by-products and broken or failed ceramics that I collect from my local community. I see waste as an important resource and aim to highlight the beauty and value of these abundant materials, to create conversations and change systems.

I commit to continuing to research the environmental and social impact of my practice, to take responsibility for it and to continue to question the decisions I make with new information.

The circular economy is based on three principals: designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. Addressing the third pillar of the circular economy, Claire Ellis Ceramics is a monthly donor to the Climate Council and the Australian Conservation Foundation. These two Australian environmental non-profits work to protect and regenerate Australia’s nature through influencing governments and businesses.