7 Believing in Better What if waste, bound for the landfill, had hidden value we haven't explored? The WasteLAB is where we ask "What if?" and experiment until we find answers, until we turn waste into something meaningful. Founded in 2013 through Kohler Co.'s Innovation for Good (IfG) , an internal innovation incubator focused on designing and growing new business opportunities with a social purpose, WasteLAB reuses unfired pottery cull, discarded enamel and other traditional manufacturing 'waste' streams to create useful products such as ceramic tiles, tabletops and items yet to be determined. With a mission to rethink and reshape the traditional manufacturing process through its consideration and use of discarded materials, WasteLAB contributes to Kohler's adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically Goal 12 regarding responsible consumption and production. The WasteLAB is just one of several success stories to come out of Kohler's Innovation for Good program, one of Kohler's three social impact areas of focus- Stewardship , Innovation for Good and Sustainability . In 2019 WasteLAB launched its first product in partnership with ANN SACKS. The Crackle Collection tiles are handmade by WasteLAB artisans and decorated with a dimensional visual effect achieved with a unique glaze designed to pool and break over the textured surface during firing. Since its debut, the Crackle Collection has been lauded by both the design and sustainability community, winning several awards including the National Kitchen and Bath Association's 30s Choice Award and the prestigious Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award.
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TONS OF CULL WASTE DIVERTED FROM LANDFILL THROUGH KOHLER WASTELAB
KOHLER WasteLAB
To reduce waste, our Innovation for Good (IfG) team is creating high value commercial products out of industrial waste.
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