Kreativno staklo Srbije

Creative Glass Serbia

Kreativno staklo Srbije

Creative Glass Serbia

Sustainable and slow glass crafting: repurposing, upcycling, and recycling

Dr. Hristina Mikić

Radovi iz serije Dodir (2022), Nika Šantej || fotografija: Miha Benedičić, ljubaznošću Nike Šantej / Nixi studio
Detail of work from the Touch series (2022) by Nika Šantej || Photo: Miha Benedičić, courtesy of Nika Šantej / Nixi Studio

Sustainable and slow glass crafting: repurposing, upcycling, and recycling

Dr. Hristina Mikić

Detail of work from the Touch series (2022) by Nika Šantej || Photo: Miha Benedičić, courtesy of Nika Šantej / Nixi Studio
Across Europe, glass artists are embracing seemingly new yet in fact ancient practices of creatively reworking glass found in their surroundings. While their approaches are promoted as innovative and aligned with the ideals of sustainability and the circular economy, researchers remind us that even the Romans recycled glass and repaired broken glass cups. In the Roman Empire, broken glass was traded as a bulk commodity, since the few glass workshops of the time could melt it down and create new, then highly valuable objects. These ancient techniques have become the foundation for today’s reinventions.
Circular glassmaking practices have existed for as long as glass itself and have never truly disappeared. Yet in the era of mechanisation and industrialisation, when the pursuit of superior glass quality took centre stage, they fell into the background, almost fading away. Based on the mapping of more than one hundred examples of creative glass recycling, three distinct forms of circular practice can be identified. One of the oldest involves the recycling of post-consumer glass. Glass factories themselves began reprocessing their own production waste, though only partially, as they still add new raw materials (quartz sand, limestone, soda, etc.). The purpose of these controlled processes using cullet (internally recycled glass), is to reduce manufacturing costs and minimise glass waste. Faced with the challenge of highly diverse chemical compositions in discarded glass, they are typically able to recycle only certain types, most commonly packaging glass. In that area, artists and creative entrepreneurs play a crucial role. They are often more willing to experiment with all kinds of discarded glass. By applying both traditional and contemporary glassmaking techniques, some of them have developed entirely new technological methods, proving that even the most chemically complex types of glass, such as laminated or tempered ones, can indeed be recycled. That way, artistic approaches to shaping circular practices, combined with historical glassmaking techniques, are making a powerful comeback as a desirable response to environmental degradation driven by large-scale industrial development – the intensive exploitation of natural resources, the release of harmful levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the acceleration of consumerism and the growth of mega-landfills. At the same time, these practices foster innovation, advance industrial design, and enrich the diversity of cultural expression.
Detalj ručne izrade recikliranog borosilikatnog stakla, u ateljeu Pernile Bulou (Pernille Bülow) u Danskoj || fotografija: ljubaznošću Pernille Bülow A/S
Detail of hand-crafting recycled borosilicate glass in the Pernille Bülow studio in Denmark || Photo: courtesy of Pernille Bülow A/S
The second form of circular practices focuses on recycling glass used in construction and electronics – windows, panels, borosilicate glass, glass components from household appliances, electronic devices, products of pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries – highlighting a close connection with industries.

The third approach involves the use of both natural and fake sea glass. Unlike genuine sea glass, which is sculpted by waves and sand over hundreds of years, artificial sea glass is created in a controlled, urban context – from recycled post-consumer glass. The shards are crushed, polished and dyed to mimic the surface and texture of sea glass, yet their origin and meaning are entirely different. LoveSeaGlass from Costa Blanca produces glass objects that bear witness to the cycles of industry and consumption – urbanised sea glass and the aesthetics of the industrial landscape. That way, artificial sea glass becomes a material that invites reflection on the aesthetics and circular practices of contemporary life. While genuine sea glass symbolises natural processes and the passage of time, its artificial counterpart offers a vision of industrial poetics – a beauty born from the alliance of recycling, human-driven processes, and human desire to imitate nature.

The third approach involves the use of both natural and fake sea glass. Unlike genuine sea glass, which is sculpted by waves and sand over hundreds of years, artificial sea glass is created in a controlled, urban context – from recycled post-consumer glass. The shards are crushed, polished and dyed to mimic the surface and texture of sea glass, yet their origin and meaning are entirely different. LoveSeaGlass from Costa Blanca produces glass objects that bear witness to the cycles of industry and consumption – urbanised sea glass and the aesthetics of the industrial landscape. That way, artificial sea glass becomes a material that invites reflection on the aesthetics and circular practices of contemporary life. While genuine sea glass symbolises natural processes and the passage of time, its artificial counterpart offers a vision of industrial poetics – a beauty born from the alliance of recycling, human-driven processes, and human desire to imitate nature.
Therefore, circular glass practices are not merely technological processes aimed at achieving environmental goals. They are also contextual and symbolic acts that question glass as both a material and an artistic medium. By encouraging innovative thinking and the discovery of new properties and uses for glass, they become a vital resource for broader sustainable development, not only for recycling and waste reduction.

Creative work with post-consumer and vintage glass

Many artists who rework and recontextualise glass found in their surroundings view circular practices as a way to make their work sustainable — and therefore modern and desirable. On the other hand, those who are deliberately trying to reduce waste and curb the need for producing new glass are encountering a market that increasingly demands originality and well-designed objects, most often vessels such as glasses, jugs, vases, and similar items made from repurposed glass bottles.
Somewhere in between are top designers capable of perceiving and creatively shaping glass within the current context of sustainable development, as well as artists who are making breakthroughs in the material itself, namely in the technologies for recycling special types of glass (laminated, tempered, borosilicate, optical, etc.), still largely considered non-recyclable due to their specific chemical composition. They operate as innovators of circular practices, using artistic work as a platform to enhance the circularity of glass.
Vintidž i novo staklo; dizajn i izrada: Studio Kalff || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
Part of the Glass Table Pieces collection, vintage and new glass; designed and crafted by Studio Kalff || Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff
Somewhere in between are top designers capable of perceiving and creatively shaping glass within the current context of sustainable development, as well as artists who are making breakthroughs in the material itself, namely in the technologies for recycling special types of glass (laminated, tempered, borosilicate, optical, etc.), still largely considered non-recyclable due to their specific chemical composition. They operate as innovators of circular practices, using artistic work as a platform to enhance the circularity of glass.
Visilica Angela, apciklirano staklo; dizajn i izrada: Nina Savič za Jugošik || fotografije: ljubaznošću Jugošik
Pendant lamp Angela, upcycled glass; design and production: Nina Savič for Jugošik || photos: courtesy of Jugošik
As with all other materials — wood, plastic, metal, and so on — the main strategies of creative glass reworking are repurposing, upcycling, and recycling. Artists apply them to all kinds of post-consumer and vintage glass. Post-consumer glass refers to glass waste made up of bottles and jars, broken tableware and other household items, window glass, cathode ray tubes from old televisions, smartphone screens, pharmaceutical ampoules and bottles, and waste glass from all other industries.
Vintage glass typically refers to glassware that is 50 years old or more, although younger pieces are often included as well. Due to their cultural, historical, or aesthetic value, they were preserved rather than discarded, and are now resold at flea markets or in antique shops. This type of glass is frequently used as historical material, as it reflects the technology, design, and stylistic identity of the era in which it was made. Often handcrafted, it stands out for its authenticity, distinctive colours, and textures, offering insight into manufacturing processes of the past, many of which are difficult to replicate under today’s conditions.
Vintage glass typically refers to glassware that is 50 years old or more, although younger pieces are often included as well. Due to their cultural, historical, or aesthetic value, they were preserved rather than discarded, and are now resold at flea markets or in antique shops. This type of glass is frequently used as historical material, as it reflects the technology, design, and stylistic identity of the era in which it was made. Often handcrafted, it stands out for its authenticity, distinctive colours, and textures, offering insight into manufacturing processes of the past, many of which are difficult to replicate under today’s conditions.

Creative repurposing

Creative repurposing means changing the original purpose of a glass object while keeping its form intact — the object remains the same, but is used in a new way. A typical example, requiring little creativity, would be using an empty food jar as a vase. A more complex form of repurposing might be, for instance, turning a crystal whiskey bottle into a pendant lamp shade, something that Lee Broom has done, or using vintage glass as a structural element in furniture, as Andreas Berlin does. Such examples are less common, as they demand both creativity and skills that many simply do not possess.

Some of the most striking examples of this strategy include Stuart Haygarth’s Optical-62BG chandelier, made from 80,000 prescription lenses; the delicate works of Roos Kalff; and the lamps of Hervé Matejewsky, created by stacking and stringing together small, discarded glass objects. Repurposing also allows for combining glass objects with those made of other materials, as well as for all forms of technical and decorative surface treatments — grinding, etching, engraving, painting, colouring, sandblasting, and so on. Any approach that preserves the original shape of the object falls within this category.
Luster Optical, napravljen od bačenih dioptrijskih stakala; dizajn i izrada: Stjuart Hejgart (Stuart Haygarth) || fotografija: ljubaznošću Stjuarta Hejgarta
Optical chandelier, made from discarded corrective lenses; design and production: Stuart Haygarth || Photo: courtesy of Stuart Haygarth

Some of the most striking examples of this strategy include Stuart Haygarth’s Optical-62BG chandelier, made from 80,000 prescription lenses; the delicate works of Roos Kalff; and the lamps of Hervé Matejewsky, created by stacking and stringing together small, discarded glass objects. Repurposing also allows for combining glass objects with those made of other materials, as well as for all forms of technical and decorative surface treatments — grinding, etching, engraving, painting, colouring, sandblasting, and so on. Any approach that preserves the original shape of the object falls within this category.

Set čaša, apciklirano staklo, dizajn i izrada: Lucirmás || fotografija: ljubaznošću Lucirmás
Set of drinking glasses, upcycled glass, design and production: Lucirmás || photo: courtesy of Lucirmás

Upcycling

Upcycling takes repurposing a step further, treating post-consumer and vintage glass as a material that can be cut, fused, slumped, and flameworked to create new, more valuable objects. Upcycled products, whether subtly or openly, retain traces of the glass from which they were made – its colour, shape, details, or texture – and it is precisely this connection to the original material that fascinates both creators and buyers – the transformation of old into new. The popularity of this approach is also evident in projects by Coca-Cola and Heineken, two major companies that have commissioned glass artists to transform their iconic bottles into jewellery, chandeliers, and other functional objects. In doing so, they demonstrate social responsibility, but also create unique, collectible objects that expand their established brand aesthetics, presenting it as a field of new artistic expressions.

In glass upcycling, artists use both cold and hot techniques. The first step is often cutting the glass, which alters the original shape of the object and creates room for creative work with the cut pieces. This process gives rise to, for example, glasses and jugs by the Italian studio Amarzo, the Spanish studio Lucirmás, Zanzibar’s CHAKO, and the Czech atelier SRNA. Smaller cut pieces can be assembled into chandeliers or used to create stained glass, while the tiniest fragments are transformed into mosaics, jewellery, and decorative mulch. By combining various pieces of post-consumer and vintage glass with objects made from other materials, Bettina Schori creates charming pendant lamps, and Nina Savič reworks old chandeliers into new, Yugo-chic (Jugošik) luminaries.

In the field of jewellery made from upcycled glass, there are also phenomena of sea glass and “real” and “fake” sea glass. Real sea glass consists of fragments that artists find on beaches, shaped over time by waves and sand, sometimes for decades. These pieces can become elements of new jewellery, even framed in silver if they are particularly beautiful. On the other hand, fake sea glass is purchased from recycling centres or specialized suppliers. These are fragments of crushed post-consumer glass, such as bottles or mirrors, whose sharp edges have been smoothed to make them safe to handle. The smoothing is achieved by mechanically tumbling or shaking the pieces, which can vary in shape, size, and colour. They are suitable for jewellery making and are particularly interesting as inspiration for pieces reflecting industrial and urban aesthetics – completely different from the natural beauty found on sea shores.
More advanced upcycling techniques require heating the glass and using specialised tools and equipment. Flameworking is most commonly applied to smaller objects, such as earrings and buttons made from easily recognisable glass bottles (of beer, gin, vodka, and the like). Fusing enables merging of glass pieces, and their colours and patterns. Using the appropriate glass fusing kilns, artists can produce both small and larger objects, including trays, pendants, wall panels, and more.

Slumping often yields the most surprising results, as most people perceive glass as a firm material that cannot be bent. This is exactly how, by slumping glass bottles, Mirri Glass creates its trays and Bettina Schori her Bottle-vases, while Nika Šantej is using window glass to make her beautiful plates.

Tanjir, apciklirano prozorsko staklo; rad Nike Šantej || fotografija: ljubaznošću Nike Šantej / Nixi studio
Plate made from upcycled window glass; design and production: Nika Šantej || Photo: courtesy of Nika Šantej / NIXI Studio.
Thanks to such works, audiences are discovering a new, previously unknown side of glass. Upcycling is a broad field of creativity, using post-consumer and vintage glass as a working material or seeking to preserve and refresh the aesthetic of existing glass objects.
Grupa četiri okruglaste čaše; reciklirano staklo, dizajn i izrada: The Michael Ruh Studio || fotografija: ljubaznošću The Michael Ruh Studio
Set of four round glasses, design and production: The Michael Ruh Studio || Photo: courtesy of The Michael Ruh Studio.

Recycling

Creative recycling involves cleaning, sorting, and crushing existing glass, which is then treated in various ways to produce new objects. Crushed glass can be melted into a glass mass for shaping objects through blowing, casting, or pressing; mixed with concrete or resin to create so-called terrazzo panels; or fused. Recently, 3D glass printers have emerged, also capable of melting post-consumer glass and printing new objects from it. In all these cases, especially with terrazzo as a cold technique, even more than 40% of energy is saved compared to producing regular, non-recycled glass.

Artists who recycle glass typically have their own suppliers of glass waste or purchase it from recycling centres, already cleaned and sorted by chemical composition and colour. While most, like Maria Yakush in Ukraine and LSA International in London, melt and blow recycled glass bottles, often carefully collected and disposed of, some studios manage to work with a wider range of glass types. Paris’s La Soufflerie, for example, melts both window and automotive glass; Michael Ruh’s studio sources optical glass from binoculars, microscopes, and cameras; Pernille Bülow recycles pharmaceutical borosilicate vials; and Hannah Gibson focuses on types of special glass that, due to their chemical composition, are typically converted into lower-value materials (glass asphalt, glass wool, or foamed aggregate) or, more often, simply crushed and buried in the soil.

Zidna vaza Simon, malina, reciklirano staklo, dizajn i izrada: La Soufflerie || fotografija: ljubaznošću La Soufflerie
Simon, wall vase, raspberry, recycled glass; design and production: La Soufflerie || Photo: courtesy of La Soufflerie
Lampe Vrv (Verve), originalni stakleni materijal, dizajn i izrada: Justina Poplavska || fotografija: ljubaznošću Justine Poplavske (Justyna Popławska)
Verve lamps, original glass material, design and production: Justyna Poplawska || photo: courtesy of Justyna Poplawska

Fusing has also proven to be an excellent method for studying how unfamiliar types of glass behave at different temperatures. Using this technique, Zsuzsanna Deák developed an entirely new glass material, while the studio Plastique succeeded in recycling glass extracted from discarded ovens to produce their original Forite tiles. In the field of terrazzo mixtures, the artistic approach of Justyna Poplawska has opened up vast possibilities for creative expression, revealing how intriguing and underexplored this material truly is. Interest in her work grows because people are intrigued by the mystery of the material’s composition and because her creations indefinitely stimulate reflection and evoke emotional responses, much like the lyrically expressive painting.

By experimenting with glass recycling, artists are creating works of art and authentic collections of functional objects, while also pioneering new technological processes that hold significance for other artists, the glass industry, architects, and society as a whole.

The trend of new, sustainable and slow glassmaking

The demand for products made through repurposing, upcycling, and recycling of glass is high, at times even counterproductive. Drinking lemonade from a jar has become so popular in cafés that Chinese manufacturers now produce brand-new jars with rustic-patterned lids and holes for straws. Key markets clearly include hotels, restaurants, and cafés committed to more socially responsible practices, but an even more significant one is the architecture and construction industry, which is now compelled to seek out new, sustainable materials. Buyers of fashion accessories and home décor items remain the broadest market that is always open to adopting and promoting anything that carries a good and meaningful story.
Detalj stola Never Before, iz serije Vaza stolova (Vases Tables), vintidž staklo; dizajn i izrada: Andreas Berlin || fotografija: ljubaznošću Andreas Berlin
Detail of the Vases Table named Never Before; design and manufacturing: Andreas Berlin || photo: courtesy of Andreas Berlin
The demand for products made through repurposing, upcycling, and recycling of glass is high, at times even counterproductive. Drinking lemonade from a jar has become so popular in cafés that Chinese manufacturers now produce brand-new jars with rustic-patterned lids and holes for straws. Key markets clearly include hotels, restaurants, and cafés committed to more socially responsible practices, but an even more significant one is the architecture and construction industry, which is now compelled to seek out new, sustainable materials. Buyers of fashion accessories and home décor items remain the broadest market that is always open to adopting and promoting anything that carries a good and meaningful story.

The finest restaurants, such as El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, set up their own workshops to upcycle the glass they have used – all is processed into souvenirs for guests and practical items that are reused in the restaurant. Producers of well-known beverages are likewise showing growing interest in expanding their product ranges to include collections made from their own bottles. There is also a rising number of stores specialising in environmentally friendly products, where it’s clear that design brands increasingly release seasonal collections made from recycled glass. Finally, a drinking glass made from recycled glass has now become a standard option among both corporate and personal gifts.

Visilice Juliet, vintidž i novo staklo; dizajn i izrada: Studio Kalff || fotografija: Jonathan Herman, ljubaznošću Studio Kalff
Juliet pendant lights, made from vintage and new glass; design and production: Studio Kalff || Photo: Jonathan Herman, courtesy of Studio Kalff

On the other hand, this creative field is still in its infancy, and there are few studios in Europe producing high-quality repurposed, upcycled, and recycled glass products. A handful of European factories manufacture a wide range of items from recycled glass, but it seems that only a few of them, such as Vidrios San Miguel (Spain) and Eco Glassworks (Poland), have maintained handcrafting – a tradition now so endangered that it is protected by UNESCO. Artists also purchase these products to enhance them with their own handwork (engraving, painting, cutting, etching, and similar techniques), giving the objects an authentic look and added value.

Little is known about glass waste as a source of artistic material, and prejudices about what types of glass can be recycled are still strong. Artists constantly challenge these assumptions, demonstrating that it is possible to produce a variety of sustainable glass materials. Better organised collection and sorting of waste will likely lead to new artistic expressions and products, while the expansion of zero-waste standards will probably increase the number of circular glass practices. Contemporary art education also contributes to this trend, as graduates are leaving university already aware of the importance of working with glass that is already available.

Little is known about glass waste as a source of artistic material, and prejudices about what types of glass can be recycled are still strong. Artists constantly challenge these assumptions, demonstrating that it is possible to produce a variety of sustainable glass materials. Better organised collection and sorting of waste will likely lead to new artistic expressions and products, while the expansion of zero-waste standards will probably increase the number of circular glass practices. Contemporary art education also contributes to this trend, as graduates are leaving university already aware of the importance of working with glass that is already available.

At the other end of sustainable glassmaking are borosilicate glass products and luxury items. These are promoted in the context of purchasing high-quality objects meant to last a lifetime, thereby avoiding the environmental impact of new production and reducing waste. Yet, creative expressions of repurposing, upcycling, and recycling remain unmatched competitors when it comes to caring about local communities, and offer a powerful alternative in terms of design and price.

Kupe Pupoljak (Blossom Coupe), reciklirano staklo i mesing; dizajn i izrada; YaKUSH & Barta Design || fotografija: ljubaznošću YaKUSH
Blossom Coupe, recycled glass and brass, design and production: YaKUSH & Barta Design; || photo: courtesy of YaKUSH

Part of the sustainable glass movement is the emergence of so-called slow glass, an expression of the broader slow design philosophy. This approach focuses on working with glass in a way that emphasizes time, quality, and thoughtful processes, in contrast to mass-produced, factory-made glass. In slow glass, the material is not just a medium for creating functional objects – it becomes a vehicle for artistic exploration through deliberate, unhurried creation and design.

This approach is characterized by careful, considered design, where each piece, first of all, carries a narrative value. It often involves experimentation with colour and texture, with details emerging gradually, in layers, and through the effects of light refracting through the glass. These pieces frequently show visible signs of handcrafting, depth of colour, and subtle, intricate details. They are created with the intention that audiences and buyers connect with the making process and the material itself, rather than just the finished object.

References