The journey to Sustainability Thinking started with questioning the sustainability competency of a product and visualising a participatory approach that involves various expertise to develop a global understanding of innovation.

The design research explores the multi-layered and impressive facets of a small clay teacup from Kolkata, India, called Bhar. It was conducted in 2019 after Indian Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced his contribution to the sustainability goal of making India plastic-free. He declared an approach to avoiding large amounts of plastic waste at railway stations in India by replacing teacups made of synthetic materials with traditional clay cups.

Hanne Viehmann questioned in her project the politician’s assumption that the cup is a sustainable solution for plastic waste. She focused on insights in context of the cup's impact on the Indian socio-culture, the environment and its design characteristics. The report includes several factors that support the policy maker's decision as well presents insights that encourage re-thinking the strategy.

The paperback includes results of the ethnographic research in Kolkata in 2019 and product analysis with varying research methods and impressions made in cooperation with local photographer Amitava Saha.

The conclusion refers to challenges that occur when the cup is used as a sustainable solution. By contrasting individual facts, hypotheses evolved about possible barriers that could be circumvented in cooperation between different institutions and disciplines.

For example, the misunderstanding between the belief in a biodegrading material and the actual properties of the material and its impact on the environment could be solved by recycling the clay waste.

Design solution recycling the waste clay cups: Circular Clay Teacup

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