Created by Bali-based, bespoke ceramic manufacturer Kevala Ceramics, and designed by Sara Howard, Vartula is a fifteen-piece tableware collection that turns urgent ecological challenges into thoughtful design. Working with environmental organisation Sungai Watch, Kevala incorporates reclaimed glass waste gathered from Bali’s rivers into its glazes. Due to a lack of local recycling facilities, these rivers often act as informal waste channels, accumulating with glass. Howard saw the potential in this discarded material and using it, developed two distinctive glazes, which can be applied individually or layered for a textured affect.
The name Vartula, Sanskrit for ‘circular’, reflects the project’s regenerative approach: transforming waste into essential material and keeping supply chains local to reduce ecological harm and increase transparency. At Kevala, sustainability has evolved from concept to a company-wide practice. A dedicated sustainability team now works to embed conscious processes across departments, from staff training on waste sorting to refining in-house efficiency. A new data logging system tracks monthly waste streams, identifying opportunities for meaningful change, while another recent innovation completely replaced a virgin raw material with a local waste alternative.
Kevala’s handcrafted ceramics are made in-house by over 150 artisans using traditional techniques. Their work serves more than 150 hotels and 200 restaurants worldwide, including Capella, Six Senses, Waldorf Astoria, The Ritz Carlton, Raffles and Rosewood.
