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In Bali’s pristine and luxurious waters lies a troubling issue: the same rivers that feed the island’s lush rice terraces are choked with waste, filled with glass bottles that drift toward the ocean. When institutions fail, individuals have decided to take the matter into their own hands, for example, with Sungai Carafe, where waste destined for landfills has found a new purpose in an elegant ceramic carafe.
The project was created through a collaboration between material researcher and designer Sara Howard, the plastic recycling organisation Sungai Design, and Bali-based artisans Kevala Ceramics. The original waste material comes from Sungai Watch, the environmental arm behind the initiative, which operates with a crew of 155 people who have cleaned more than 350 rivers and hundreds of kilometres of coastline, collecting 3,648,901 kilograms of plastic.
Glass, the key material of the project, represents a significant portion of waste captured by the Sungai Watch, with more than 26,300 kg found annually. Prior to works like the Sungai Carafe, this waste was shipped to Java for processing, adding transportation costs and carbon emissions to an already problematic waste stream. Now, the glass components travel locally to Kevala Ceramics, where artisans create new and entirely handmade pieces.
The finished product, designed by Sara Howard, features a curved silhouette with sandblasted details. It claims a world-first, being the only recycled ceramic carafe currently available on the
market. The first edition of 50 pieces, launched at Jia CURATED, sold out within five days, speaking to the growing consumer desire for sustainable luxury goods. Orders are now open for the second batch, delivering in October 2025, and a third round is planned for December.
Sara Howard is the circular ceramic designer behind the project, representing a new generation of material innovators challenging current production systems. Her practice focuses on an industrial symbiosis model, where waste material from one industry can become the raw material for ceramic production, transforming traditional supply chains into circular networks.
Similarly, the Sungai Carafe embodies a full circle philosophy, from water to water. Symbiotic design is an approach that goes beyond just recycling, aiming instead to create fully regenerative systems that benefit all participants involved. As industries keep consuming finite raw materials far quicker than they are created, this philosophy is necessary for the future of industrial design on our planet.
The project transforms a material associated with pollution into an object of ritual. Carafes are linked to hospitality, conviviality, the act of gathering around water or wine. By re-casting waste glass into a new vessel, the design stages a double act of reparation, both in the material itself and in the value it has in our eyes. The model can go beyond Bali; glass waste is everywhere, and if scaled, it can truly impact entire sectors across the globe.
The Sungai Carafe shows us how design can act in urgent environmental issues without sacrificing quality, aesthetics, or traditional crafts. Redirecting river waste into a desirable product, the work fully demonstrates the feasibility and charm of circular systems, and of products that have a rich story behind them. It is only a small step against a much larger crisis, but one that sets a great example for how local collaborations can create a meaningful impact.
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https://designwanted.com/sungai-carafe-sara-howard-material-design-bali/
