DBL Ceramics is tackling the issue of industrial waste in the tile manufacturing sector with an innovative approach.
The company’s Chief Business Officer Mohammad Bayazed Bashar, in an interview with TIMES of Bangladesh, discussed their campaign to repurpose tile waste and water treatment sludge into valuable products like chalk.
“This campaign is about transforming waste into something useful,” says Bayazed.
Tile waste, often overlooked, is a major environmental concern, taking years to decompose and impacting soil quality and ecosystems.
In addition to broken tiles, the waste from the firing process and water treatment sludge also poses environmental risks.
“We believe we cannot just talk about the problem; we must act,” says Bayazed, emphasizing the need to view waste as a resource, not something to discard.
Sustainability, for DBL Ceramics, means reducing their environmental footprint and setting an example for the industry.
When faced with the challenge of repurposing sludge from their water treatment processes, the team at DBL Ceramics found a solution.
After months of research, they discovered that the sludge could be transformed into chalk, turning waste into a valuable product.
“This breakthrough showed us how overlooked byproducts could be reimagined to benefit both the environment and the community,” Bayazed said.
Looking ahead, DBL Ceramics plans to scale their efforts environmentally and socially.
They aim to increase the volume of waste repurposed, producing more eco-friendly products like chalk and slates.
The first batch of 10,000 chalk packs has already reached 1,000 schools through NGO partners and they plan to extend this reach across Bangladesh.
DBL Ceramics is also developing a new product category, sTiles, to further reduce landfill waste and lower carbon emissions.
On the social front, they aim to integrate this initiative into school programs to raise awareness about sustainability.
Through workshops and community outreach, they hope to instill a sense of environmental responsibility in the younger generation.
Ultimately, DBL Ceramics seeks to establish their campaign as “a model for how industries can turn waste into valuable resources.”
