The trophies for the annual Clean Up South West event in Singapore were made from plastic waste and Jesmonite. They were created by Bernie Ang and Amanda Tay who run Brambe, a company described as the love child of an architect and an environmentalist, set up in June 2021.
Everyone was impressed
“We were so pleased with the awards we were able to create,” Amanda said.
“It is made of waste plastic and Jesmonite and they were given out to a variety of winners for their environmental efforts like schools, corporates and communities in the district.“It was designed to look like a leaf and an infinity loop in different angles to show the continuous effort for recycling.
“A lot of people were very surprised because eco-friendly trophies tend to be made from upcycled wood – they didn’t think the waste would be incorporated and they were surprised it came out so beautifully and shocked that it is so smooth.” Organisers were so impressed with the trophies that Brambe has already been commissioned to make more awards in the future.
Coffee, tea and plastic in the products
They were asked to create the Clean Up South West accolades as Brambe is part of the Zero Waste Testbed Initiative which is supported by National University of Singapore (NUS), SembWaste and South West CDC. As part of the scheme Brambe is creating tables to use in the university made of Jesmonite and waste products. The company also sells a variety of items like coasters, trays, pots, laptop stands and organisers – each one containing waste material.
“Every product uses recycled waste including coffee grounds and tea leaves, which we collect and we also get from a local cafe,” Amanda added.
“We use waste plastic too, which we get from beach clean ups by both doing it ourselves and volunteer groups which clean beaches and give it to us.
Versatile and eco-friendly material
“I love Jesmonite because the opportunities are limitless – there is no fixed thing that we can or cannot do.
“You can alter the colour or texture, it is very versatile and any excess materials can be used for future production.”
Amanda, who has a degree in environmental science, first came across Jesmonite on TikTok when she saw people doing DIY projects and talking about how environmentally friendly it was. She didn’t believe how eco-friendly the material could be, so looked it up herself.
Sustainability and design hand in hand
Now the pair make everything handmade from scratch – Bernie creates the 3D designs, they then make their own moulds and create products using Jesmonite while incorporating wastes. Brambe was born to explore the potentials of integrating sustainability and design, with the vision of redefining future homewares to be eco-friendly and uniquely designed.
“Brambe is really something special for us where both our passions align,” Amanda added.
For more information on Brambe visit their website, follow them on Instagram or take a look at their TikTok.
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