Jodie Monteiro

Ferticlay, as its name suggests, is an air-dried fertilising clay. Our products are composed of food waste and filtered clay from local construction sites. They can either be reused after being rehydrated, or safely returned to the ground, thus preventing waste from being sent to the landfill. The latter process releases nutrients such as calcium and nitrogen, which can be found in food waste. 

I came up with the idea to create an alternative to clay, a material commonly used to create ceramics, after signing up for a competition to earn extra university credits. Subsequently, I joined various programmes and competitions such as one by Lasalle College of the Arts that helps students to turn their creative projects into businesses. 

Our biggest challenge has been researching the many types of waste materials that exist in this world. We had to take time to understand the long-term effects of replacing conventional materials with Ferticlay and conducted numerous tests to explore various applications for our product. From home decor to wall finishes, we have found Ferticlay to possess similar characteristics as traditional and existing structural materials. 

We aim to be ‘earth connoisseurs,’ innovating bespoke design solutions from waste-based clay materials. This entails the efficient and ethical repurposing of waste materials into valuable resources. We’re currently exploring using combinations of construction and food waste as alternative homeware and building materials.

Singapore’s sustainability ecosystem may be small compared to that of larger nations, but everyone is really passionate. We have a shared vision to do more with the little we have, and hope to help realise this vision through our efforts in repurposing waste into functional and beautiful products. I hope that more support will be given to ground-up organisations like ours, so that we can achieve so much more for the sustainability of Singapore, the region and beyond.