Yi Design Turns Jingdezhen Porcelain Waste into Recycled Tiles for Erdos, Icicle and New Balance

Key facts

• Yi Design collected leftover ceramics in Jingdezhen in spring 2021 and transported broken plates, bowls and mugs to its factory outside the city centre.
• The company's YiTile is made from 70 per cent recycled materials and is used by Chinese luxury fashion brands Erdos and Icicle for shops and flagship boutiques.
• International expansion to Japan, the US, Australia and South Korea has come through several design- and eco-conscious clients across Europe.
• Founder and creative director Caroline Cheng, 63, says Cos is extremely supportive and global studio Brinkworth is using the tiles for its New Balance shops.
• Cheng was born in the UK to parents from Hong Kong who were scions of the Amoy soy-sauce empire; her artworks are in leading museums and she tutors at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London.
• She joined Hong Kong's The Pottery Workshop in 1991, a centre with multiple locations across China that teaches handmade ceramics and supports graduates' careers.
• Yi Design has headquarters in Shanghai and outposts in Jingdezhen, Dali and London.
• The YiBrick, an award-winning permeable brick made almost entirely from recycled materials, is in material libraries of Foster + Partners, Brinkworth and Heatherwick Studio.
• The business is breaking even and Cheng is focusing on lowering kiln carbon emissions by firing at cooler temperatures or transitioning to renewables.