Walker Zanger’s San Miguel factory remains mindful of their resources.

A great design can offer an enhanced living or work space that is both innovative and environmentally cautious. Walker Zanger’s Ceramica Antique factory displays these qualities by implementing environmentally friendly practices wherever possible throughout production.

The conscious decision to recycle and reuse natural materials was one that came easily to the company. According to environmental nonprofit group Caminos de Agua, most of the San Miguel water supply is pumped from a water source called the Independence Aquifer.  

Due to over extracting from intensive export agriculture, the aquifer is dropping at an alarming rate causing wells to run dry. Understanding the importance of water conservation, Ceramica Antique collects left over waste water from the glazing stage of tile production to make it suitable for other uses.

The collected water runoff is pushed through the factory’s drainage system and redirected to a press that filters out all glaze particles. Walker Zanger’s collections of red body clay are a great example of how the recycled water is used when mixed with dry clay before transforming into collections of art, like Spanish Cotto and Andalucia. 

In addition to water recycling, the team within Ceramica Antique incorporates ceramic body recycling practices into their production process. This means material waste collected throughout production is appropriately integrated back into new batches of body.

City Bricks for example, is one of Walker Zanger’s newer collections containing 31% recycled tile material and 58% locally sourced natural clay. Made with recycled post-industrial content, City Bricks is Walker Zanger’s first major Green Product collection.