At Made in Japan, we’ve always been concerned about operating as sustainably as we can. Our makers in Japan share the same concerns – with up to 140,000 tons of tableware discarded to landfill every year in Japan – leading to the ‘recycled ceramic’ initiative.
Our recycled ceramic range is created from used and broken tableware from over 30 local kilns and co-operatives – ranging from raw material suppliers who pulverise and de-air clay to makers and wholesalers.
Items accepted for recycling are limited to used and broken tableware to ensure no hazardous substances are present.
The collected ceramic tableware is then crushed into fine particles in a huge grinding mill. The resulting material is called “scherben” in the Japanese ceramic industry.
Up to 50% of the scherben is then mixed with new clay which enables the firing temperature to be significantly reduced, which in turn reduces fuel consumption at the kiln.
The resulting new tableware pieces are of the same high quality seen across our other ranges.
We like to think of this range as ‘Sustainable Tableware’