Sustainability Reality Check of Clay Teacup
Facts along the entire life cycle of the traditional clay teacup
Part 1 (730 words)
Disposable teacup made of clay
In India, many billions of cups of tea are sold every day. The turnover of out-of-home consumption was USD 3.4 billion in 2019. A large share of sales is made by street tea vendors who sell tea in disposable cups made of plastic, paper or clay.
Traditionally, tea is served in a small single-use clay cup, which adds an extra earthy flavour to the hot drink. It has been handmade by local potters for many generations and it is used and disposed of with no further concerns because of its natural material. A saying in western India is "Chai piva Bhar feka", which means "enjoy the tea, throw down Bhar". Bhar is the regional name for the clay cup in Kolkata, West Bengal. As a result, the street sale of tea produces several hundred tonnes of waste every day, which is to be sustainably regulated through new legislation. Goals include cleaning the environment and oceans of plastic waste and working towards a zero waste economy.
Photos made in collaboration with Amitava Saha during my research in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, in 2019
Against plastic waste in India
Various Indian ministers have been trying for many years to make stations and train lines in India more sustainable by avoiding plastic teacups. Most recently, in 2019, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced a plan to return to using traditional clay cups exclusively and as the sustainable alternative to plastic. Even after the pandemic, the implementation of the plan is proceeding with trade-offs and many challenges – but now with the reins tightened:
The ministry of environment, forest and climate change drafted the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules-2021, by which single-use plastic products such as carry bags, plates, cutlery items and cups must be excluded from trade. This law, including penalties, is to come into force on 1 July 2022 and means that tea can no longer be sold in single-use plastic cups.
Replacing single-use plastic cups
As early as 2004, the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav planned to have an additional 5 million clay cups produced to be used as an alternative to plastic cups at various stations and on trains in the country.
He saw in the ethnic cup the possibilities of addressing the plastic waste problem, thereby reducing the environmental impact and at the same time adding an Indian touch to the railway services. He highlighted the economic benefits to provide large business and employment in the rural sector.
To implement the 5 million more clay cups, Lalu Prasad Yadav subsidised potters with electric pottery wheels, which, however, did not sufficiently increase the number of cups that could be produced by hand. On the contrary, the accelerated manufacturing processes - preparing the clay, moulding, drying and firing the cup - degraded its qualities. The cup was much more frequent to be unusable due to holes. In the end, many tea drinkers and sellers opted again for the lighter, cheaper, industrially produced plastic for practical and user-oriented reasons.
Changing perspective on zero single-use plastics
Attempted implementations of the concept have failed but with the increasing pressure to achieve sustainability goals such as zero single-use plastic, perspectives and measures are changing.
Clay cups stay in focus of the vision for a cleaner India
In 2019, 15 years later, the current Minister for Road Transport and Highways decided to make another attempt to ban plastic cups from mobile tea shops. Nitin Gadkari requested to make "use of kulhads mandatory at 100 railway stations" and instructed Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to implement this project.
Goyal argued his plan for implementation with various benefits related to the three sustainability sectors of People, Planet and Profit. He highlighted the cultural significance of the clay cup through its recognisable special earthen aroma and reinforced this with his personal statement "tea in Kulhads used to taste better". Goyal continues to focus on the traditions of intergenerational craftsmanship and the importance of clay as a material for Indian culture and spirituality. The reintroduction of the clay cup would help India to become plastic-free and relieve the environment of plastic waste. He sees the economic advantage in creating income and new employment for potters.
Find more information about the research in my project A Journey To Sustainability Thinking.
Reality check along the entire life cycle shows opportunities and challenges
Researched statements and facts and figures along the entire life cycle (MIRO)
At first glance, the projects from 2004 and 2019 are indistinguishable, leading to the assumption that another attempt is facing the same difficulties in production and use.
How sustainable is Bhar and can it protect against pollution?
Part 2 / 2500 words
No more disposable plastic cups for tea in India by 01 July 2022
Sustainability Reality Check of the Clay Teacup, the Indian Alternative for Plastic Cups
@piyushgoyal #environmentalprotection #plasticfree #India #workforcemanagement #healthandsafety #womenpower
Indian railway ministers have approached the sustainable goal of making India free of single-use plastic by replacing plastic teacups with the traditional disposable clay cups.
The Indian politicians' approach spontaneously inspires agreement that anything is better than fishing single-use plastic products out of the oceans. The challenge, however, is to better assess what risks India may be taking in using clay cups.
This text is a reality check for a deeper and broader thinking within the framework of sustainability. Which of the vaguely formulated goals and arguments of the minister should be looked at in a more differentiated way and from a broader perspective?
The second part of the article series, discusses the minister's theses and links them to relevant information along the life cycle of the clay cup.
Statements by Railway Minisiter Piyush Goyal
Piyush Goyal has been presenting the clay cup as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic cups since 2019 and sees it not only as a solution to the problem of plastic waste. In 2020, he stated that “Kulhads (Hindu name for the clay teacup) will not only help reduce the use of toxic plastic and save the environment, they will give employment and income to hundreds of thousands of potters”. He assures that “the clay teacups are biodegradable, unlike plastic”. He further commented, “We're making efforts to implement the same across the country as Railways' contribution in making India plastic-free.”
Clay For Plastic (?)
“ … Railways’ contribution in making India plastic-free
If plastic is no longer allowed to be used as a material for teacups, alternatives are needed. Currently, tea is served in small paper cups in addition to the traditional clay cups. Because of India's special connection to clay, the ministers decided on the tradition.
Compared to plastic, clay is a natural, renewable resource that can be mined regionally and processed without further manufacturing steps.
In terms of environmental protection, the topic of clay mining and its impact on nature is important to integrate.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of detailed information about the consequences of mining the much larger amount of clay needed.
Clay is found in abundance throughout the country, but duplicated mining for the production of larger masses of cups is stressing a resource depletion. To be able to produce the high quantities (besides bricks and cultural clay goods), many fields have already been utilised and riverbeds destroyed. Clay fields are very rich in nutrients and are well suited for growing food. The sustainability problem can be summarised as ecological damage of agricultural land and riverbeds. The destruction of the riverbed of India's largest and spiritually most important river, the Ganga, can be additionally identified as a particular issue.
Hiring Potters (?)
“... they will give employment …”
The trial launched by Lalu Prasat in 2004 included a fixed quantity of 5 million additional clay cups to be produced daily across the country. To ensure the success of the project, the minister invested in additional working material – as did Pisyush Goyal.
The cups have been made in the traditional way for many generations, so that the processes and tools have only slightly adapted to today's technological possibilities. The clay is kneaded smoothly with bare feet and the potters sit on a small wooden stool on the floor in front of an electrical pottery wheel. The cups dry in open spaces in the sun, afterwards stacked by hand in the kiln and finally, after firing, loaded into a handcart for transport.
Compared to the plastic cup, the production by hand and the increase in quantity is automatically associated with new jobs.
In terms of human resource, the issues of occupational health and safety and gender equality are important to integrate.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of detailed information about the necessary capacities of a potter and his productivity.
Most of the potters in Kolkata (interviews in Kolkata in March 2019) have been working with electric pottery wheels for many years. Their production process has been optimised over time so that they can turn a cup in about eight seconds. Working 16.5 hours a day, a potter manages a total of about 3000 cups a day, each of which he has to touch four times. The production of one cup takes in total about 20 seconds – from preparing the clay to delivering to the tea stalls in Kolkata.
In the first approach of the Railway Ministry from 2004 onwards, it became clear that the process could hardly be further optimised. Larger masses of cups showed a serious decline in quality, such as holes due to poorly prepared clay or too fast turning, as well as too short drying or firing.
The experience clarified that the productivity of one potter who is used to working with an electric pottery wheel is difficult to increase. However, politics revealed that the potters who were still working with manually operated ones could increase their productivity by six times.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of detailed information about the necessary requirements and training to become a potter.
The potter clans, which are still recognised by their family name Prajapati, traditionally pass on their knowledge and enter the family business at the age of 12. Usually three generations work together in the family workshop or in a large potter coworking space.
Despite the hard, daily physical work, the potters are proud of their family craft and feel responsible for carrying on the traditions. This stands in contrast to the career changers, who are supported by state subsidies for working materials to get started in clay cup production.
One potter explained in an interview that he learnt the craft within 3 weeks without any special effort. Afterwards he was able to turn the cups at the necessary speed and had the basic knowledge for firing.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of detailed information about diversity in the craft sector.
The craft is passed on from father to son and traditionally only men work in the production.
Sustainability stands for equality and this includes the empowerment of both genders. New employment should particularly aim to attract women and offer them options within the craft.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of detailed information about the health consequences of pottery work.
Most potters work where they live. The workshop is usually built in the entrance area of the property and includes a roofed space where the firing place is set up. Around are black soot marks on the wall and ceiling and it becomes clear that the smoke is venting in an undefined way. For the potters and their family members, this means a risk of CO2 poisoning.
Potters believe in the sacred meaning of clay extracted from the holy river Ganga. In consideration of the known problems of poor water quality and contamination, it is questionable whether this raw material can cause harm to those who come into contact with it.
Protecting Nature (?)
“... they save the environment… ”
After extraction, the clay is transported by diesel trucks to the potters in Kolkata, about 30 kilometres away. The cups produced daily are turned on an electric pottery wheel and, after drying, fired in a natural kiln heated by an open fire.
Compared to the plastic cup, the clay cups are produced locally and manually in much smaller quantities, which eliminates the environmental impact of a factory, but spreads it all over India.
In terms of environmental protection, the impact of CO2 emissions has to be integrated.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of in-depth information on the harmful emissions from open fires.
The natural oven is built into the workshops and is operated on two levels. The cups are set up on the base throughout the day and the wood and coal fire underneath is lit in the afternoon. The firing process takes about six hours. The smoke escapes without a filter, which results in a high CO2 concentration. Calculated per 2,000 cups, about 40 kg of CO2 are emitted per day.
CO2 emission of 2,000 cups (50 ml).
Distribution of raw clay by diesel truck: 0.5 kg CO2
Electric pottery wheel: 1 kg CO2
Open fire: 40 kg CO2
This means that about 20 grams of CO2 are produced for every 50 ml clay cup.
Supporting Potters (?)
“... they will give income to hundreds of thousands of potters”
The clay tea cup market has existed for many years and is divided within potter families. Many tea sellers in Kolkata confirmed that the number of cups produced per day is too few and that they used all of the clay cups hours before the sale closes.
Compared to the plastic cup, the clay cup has been a regionally produced and exclusively regionally marketed product for many generations.
In relation to the market, the issues of equal opportunities and remuneration are important to integrate.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of in-depth information about the clay cup business.
Potters in Kolkata agree that clay cups will continue to be needed and produced in the future. However, they see that the craft is not lucrative for the next generations to continue, as the profit has been unchanged and low for many years.
The better school education and thus expanded opportunities for the children offers the family an exit from the pottery business.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of in-depth information on the advantages and disadvantages of a collaborative union.
Interviews with various potters located in Kolkata showed that about half of the families are members of potters' associations and are centrally organised. For example, the union negotiates the prices per cup and plans the amount of cups produced as well as the distribution to the different tea sellers. In comparison, independent potters negotiate their prices themselves and the Kolkata survey showed that they get about INR 0.1 more for a cup, which means INR 0.5 per cup of income.
Eco Consuming (?)
“... they help reduce the use of toxic plastic …”
Users of the clay cup in India call clay a "healthy" material, as all organic particles, bacteria and harmful microplastics are burnt off in the firing process. For them, the smell of the wet clay is an important part of the tea experience. "It's the little muddy smell which makes the tea so special".
Compared to the plastic cup, the clay cup is made of a naturally occurring and mineral material.
In terms of consumer behaviour, the topics of hygiene, awareness of throwing away and price are important to integrate.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of in-depth information about pollutants in and on the cup when it is served.
Temperatures as low as 60 degrees Celsius kill infectious germs and bacteria. If the cup is fired at a temperature of 800 degrees Celsius and the tea is poured into the cup boiling hot at almost 100 degrees Celsius, one can assume that drinking tea from the clay cup is hygienic.
However, there are some tea drinkers who doubt the hygiene of the cup. In interviews in Kolkata, different beliefs filtered out. The cups are stored openly at the tea stalls, which are often next to busy roads. The conviction is that the smog from the cars and the dirt in the air settles on the cups throughout the day and is not healthy.
Another belief is that the cup would need an extra step in production to be completely hygienic. That is to clean it after firing. Ash and dust retain in many cups, which some tea sellers routinely blow out of the cup before the tea is poured.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is no information about the necessity to throw away the cup after one use.
In Kolkata, there is the saying "Chai piva Bhar feka" [enjoy chai, throw away Bhar (Bengali name for clay cup)], which illustrates the habit of disposing of the cup after use. In interviews with tea drinkers, it also came through that they are convinced that the traditional and socially significant tea ritual is not round if you do not hear the bang at the end when the cup shatters into shards on the floor. However, tea vendors in Kolkata have set up dustbins in which the cups are specifically meant to be disposed of to keep the stall clean and make the street sweepers' job easier.
Making the cup hygienic again after use by cleaning it with water is avoided by tea sellers because in many parts of India water is scarce and its quality is questionable. Sterilising the cup by heat, by firing it another time in the kiln, is rejected by the potters as they would be punished for it according to their spiritual guidelines.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of in-depth information on the higher costs that arise for the user and possibly the state if tea is only sold in clay cups.
Early in the morning, homeless people come to the tea stalls to drink a hot tea to get their energy for the day. In an interview with a tea seller, it became clarified that the first tea drinkers of the day can only afford the smallest portion, 25 ml, which is only sold in plastic cups. The clay cups are produced for a larger quantity of tea, in 50 and 100 ml.
Price lists hang on the stalls showing that a cup of tea in a clay cup costs about 20 per cent more than in plastic or paper cups. The customer pays more because the seller also has higher costs for the handmade clay cup.
Bio Waste (?)
“... they are biodegradable …”
"Take something from earth and give it back after use" is the expression of belief in a natural and biodegradable material shared by consumers of clay products.
Compared to plastic, clay is a naturally occurring material that decomposes into a sandy soil after a few years.
In terms of protecting nature, it is important to illustrate the degree to which ceramic waste is natural.
From a more differentiated point of view, there is a lack of in-depth information on the biodegradability of the clay cup.
Low-fired clay is a porous material, which quickly absorbs liquids and is more fragile than everyday ceramics. The belief in the natural cycle of the material has been passed on through generations, so that today the clay is called biodegradable. However, materials science differentiates the term because after firing and many years, the ceramic material decomposes into sandy soil rather than back into the natural, plastic resource.
The disposed sand changes the natural soil composition and has a negative ecological impact on agricultural land and forests. Scientists found that fields were less fertile and trees were less able to draw nutrients from soil that had fired clay added to it.
Find more information about the research in my project A Journey To Sustainability Thinking.
