Through the project, students engaged with sustainable design thinking, material use and craftsmanship skills that are becoming central to the jewellery and design sectors
Kolkata: Sawansukha Indian Institute of Jewellery (SIIJ) has taken a step towards sustainability with its ‘Scrap to Treasure’ student competition, developed and executed by students under the guidance of faculty members.
The competition asked participants to rethink waste and transform discarded materials into design pieces. Creations were made using scrap collected from streets and households, including metal remnants, broken accessories, packaging waste and everyday objects. The exercise encouraged students to see waste not as an endpoint, but as the start of another design journey.
Through the project, students engaged with sustainable design thinking, material use and craftsmanship skills that are becoming central to the jewellery and design sectors. The institute positioned the initiative as part of its focus on linking education with responsibility and awareness.
Niki Sawansukha, Principal of SIIJ, spoke about the role creative institutions play in shaping future practices. “As designers and educators, we must think beyond aesthetics and profitability. We have a responsibility towards the world we live in and the generations that will follow. Sustainability is not a trend, it is a conscious choice we must make today,” she said.
The ‘Scrap to Treasure’ competition reflects the Sawansukha Group’s approach to nurturing designers who are both skilled and socially and environmentally aware. By bringing sustainability into its curriculum through practical learning, the institute aims to encourage young designers to adopt ethical and eco-conscious methods from the beginning of their careers.
With this initiative, Sawansukha linked innovation with responsibility and education with purpose, while promoting leadership that focuses on long-term impact.
Sawansukha Jewellers runs seven stores – the flagship Camac Street showroom and four other stores in Kolkata, and one store each in Siliguri and Raipur.
Retail Jeweller India News
