A new ceramic culture: Regenerating waste through design and material agency

This article reframes ceramic waste as an active material ingredient capable of generating new material cultures rather than as inert residue. Drawing on a narrative literature review (2015–2025), it traces a shift from engineering-led recycling towards culturally embedded regeneration. Integrating Design for Sustainability and New Materialism, the study organizes case studies into four pathways: Residual Continuity, Cultural Reinscription, Creative Revalorization, and Material Becoming, linked to craft, co-design, and repair. The analysis reveals a systemic tension: traditional ceramics are carbon-intensive yet embedded in established industrial infrastructures, while low-carbon and bio-fabricated alternatives remain emergent and difficult to scale. The article argues that technical innovation alone is insufficient to address this impasse and emphasizes the role of cultural narratives and participatory methods in reconfiguring human–material relations. It proposes a framework for a “new ceramic culture” based on low-carbon regeneration, emotional and cultural engagement, and participatory and situated design, offering new directions for regenerative material practices.