A new life for glass waste

Instead of discarding your bottles of wine, contact Soda Lemon and turn the bottles into artisanal glassware that is customised for you!

Soda Lemon, co-founded by Environmental Studies alumni Sean TEOH and TEO Rui Xiang, aims to transform the way society views glass, both as a resource and as a material. It was born from the belief that while profit is necessary for a business, its foundations should be rooted on the pillars of sustainability.

The name Soda Lemon was inspired from the type of glass they work with, known as soda-lime glass. Soda-lime glass is commonly used for glass containers to store food and drinks.

During his exchange to Canada when he was an undergraduate, Sean chanced upon a glass upcycling facility, Old Town Glassworks, and witnessed firsthand how discarded glass could be given a new lease of life and upcycled into artisanal goods. He participated in their workshop and learned the basic techniques of cold glass working. 

Sean and Rui Xiang are now applying this concept in Singapore to upcycle and recycle glass waste, transforming the waste into individually handcrafted artisanal glassware.   

Their journey was not without its challenges.  Sean says, “This venture requires knowledge in mechanical engineering and materials science, but both of us are trained in ecology, biology, geography and climate science-related areas.”

To gain technical expertise in the craft, Sean therefore decided to embark on night classes at a polytechnic and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) where he studied engineering design, quality control engineering, as well as 3D and 2D modelling of materials. 

In addition, glass coldworking processes are time-consuming. He adds, “Glass is a very hard material and you need even harder tools to cut, sand and polish it. Glass is also very brittle so you have to be careful when handling it or it can crack or shatter easily.”

The challenges notwithstanding, Sean has no regrets venturing into entrepreneurship. “We are doing our part to address environmental degradation - one quality product at a time.”