Sara Howard, designer and ceramicist

Sara Howard

When I approached Sara to be included on my website, it was her approach to circular ceramics that inspired me. Now that I have read more about her work on her various websites and read her responses to my questions, I think the work she is doing is just amazing. She makes it all sound very simple and in a way, I think it is. The world should just be thinking more like this to help create a better future. But I don’t want to underestimate her work as I doubt any of it is easy or straight forward! Please read on and then explore further on the 3 websites linked at the end of the article. I guarantee you will be inspired.

Who are you?

I’m a ceramic designer whose passion lies in transforming waste into functional products. A significant part of my work focuses on scaling the use of reclaimed materials in tableware production and making industrial waste streams accessible to others.

I first launched my Circular Ceramic tableware collection in 2020. I scaled it up two years later, and it is now used in hotels, restaurants, and homes globally. The core focus is on replacing imported virgin raw materials with local waste streams destined for landfill in ceramic production. The creation of this new waste material ecology has resulted in designing more collections and products, such as the Vartula range and the Sungai Carafe.

Circular Ceramic 14 piece tableware

My book, Circular Ceramics, shares my processes under the Creative Commons ShareAlike licence, with the aim of enabling impact globally and across multiple creative practices.

After facing ongoing challenges accessing waste from the construction sector, I co-founded Golden Earth Studio to make excavated by-products accessible to fellow makers. We have two core missions: to distribute as much construction waste as possible for free, and to bring transformed clay back into homes through our gallery.

Golden Earth Studio exhibition

Then there’s Crafting Coral, which I founded in 2022. The project connects communities with clay to support coral reef restoration, operating from London schools to remote islands in Indonesia. Education is central to this work. We act as advocates for coral, sharing the reality that up to 90% of global coral reefs could be lost by 2050 if behaviour doesn’t change.

The questions that guide my practice are simple: can this waste material be used in ceramics, who else could benefit from this waste stream, and how can clay be a tool for behavioural change?

Crafting Coral (photographer Alex Kydd)

Why do you also have a thing with ceramics?

While studying BA Ceramics at Central Saint Martins, designing through making was the core philosophy of our practice. Developing an understanding of material potential and limitations made me want to dig deeper into the origins of every mineral used in clay and glazes.

Through this process, I uncovered the complex supply chains the industry relies on. Reading case studies on the ecological and social impacts of mineral extraction, which can be found in more or less every ceramic studio, pushed me to rethink that system. Redesigning a global mineral supply chain was ambitious, and probably naive, but it felt necessary to try to make a small dent in conventional ceramic production.

Ultimately, the idea wasn’t new. It was about returning to small, local supply chains that the foundations of the industries were originally built on. The real challenge today is scale: how to meet the needs of larger populations without losing that local approach.

Closing the loop at Kevala Ceramics

When did ceramics come into your life?

When I finished school at 18, I knew a read-write-memorise led career wasn’t for me. I was encouraged to apply for an art foundation course, which I’d previously seen as a hobby rather than a potential career path.

Starting the foundation course made me realise how little art and design are taught, or respected, in UK schools. This may have been specific to my experience, but Central Saint Martins opened my eyes to the breadth of creative specialisms available.

That year, my tutor Kathleen Hils introduced me to ceramics. One week of hands-on slip casting to design a small homeware range was enough to commit me to a three-year BA in the material. It was the first time in my education that I felt I truly understood a subject and knew how to get good grades - all while enjoying the process. 

Where can we find you on a typical day?

This is the hardest question to answer, as I’m almost always on the move. I’m lucky to work between London, Bali, Lombok, and the Maldives, above and below water.

My work in circular ceramics spans the entire process, from sourcing waste materials to marketing the final product. I love that full journey, so you’ll find me in labs, industrial sites mapping waste streams, collecting waste samples, photography studios, and trade shows speaking directly with customers. The factory I work with in Bali, Kevala Ceramics, has over 200 people working to produce ceramic tableware for the hospitality sector. Producing my collection from local waste streams requires me to work with every department in order to achieve the desired outcome. I love scurrying around the factory checking on samples, new forms and smoothing out any issues that are inevitable when working with waste.

Kevala Ceramics

With Golden Earth Studio, you can find me in a high-vis vest and hard hat handing out free clay to creatives on the construction sites we partner with. I also curate exhibitions showcasing work made by Golden Earth Studio artists. We have an exciting solo show coming up next year that is worth keeping an eye out for.

Clay residue reclaimed from factory waste water treatment systems, stone slurry, crushed glass and reclaimed glaze overspray

Crafting Coral takes me to the tropical locations. Alongside school-based workshops, often with children who have never seen the ocean, I travel to planting sites where CoralPods made by the workshop participants are installed to restore local reefs. The process involves constant testing and refinement. Each CoralPod design responds to the specific marine terrain, and I’m continually evolving forms to improve coral survival rates.

Making a CoralPod

What are your plans for the future?

My mission remains the same: to circulate by-products back into the economy in ways that benefit both people and the planet. In 2026, Crafting Coral will launch in new locations, and Golden Earth Studio has a couple of exhibitions planned as we establish ourselves further as a gallery. Circular Ceramics continues to expand into new UK industries through exciting new collaborations.

I’m also excited to begin a new project in 2026 on a small island off the north coast of Lombok, home to just 400 people. I’m part of a team working toward an ambitious goal: creating a zero-waste island. More to come as the work unfolds!