Svenskt Tenn cares about the environment and sustainability, and the classic glass items in its range are no exception. Reijmyre Glassworks in Östergötland uses glass from completely lead-free crystal. The furnaces used in the production process are electric, environmentally friendly and energy efficient and do not emit nitrogen oxide or carbon dioxide. The glassworks only uses electricity from water and wind power, and all glass that is discarded is melted and used again. Waste such as corrugated board and other combustibles are sorted and sent for recycling.

Purchasing Swedish glass cuts down on transport distances, helping to avoid a heavy climate impact, and by producing timeless products of high quality and a long service life, we are taking efforts not waste the earth’s resources. Classic glass objects are rarely thrown away. Instead, they are preserved throughout the years and can be resold or passed down as gifts to the next generation.

How optical blown glass is made at the Reijmyre Glassowrks in Östergötland

Production of the vases in the Iris series as well as vase Pion, 24 cm, begins in the night, at the Reijmyre glassworks in Östergötland. The glass melter then increases the temperature in the melting furnaces to 1400°C and shovels in approximately 500 kg of glass, which is then melted under close supervision. Towards the morning, the temperature of the glass must be down to a work temperature of 1100°C when the glass blowers begin their workday at 6am.

When the manufacturing process begins in the blowing room, the glassworker captures glass on a glassblowing pipe, and blows up a small bubble which is called an item. The glassblower then takes over, captures even more glass around the item and creates it using a wooden dipper. The formed glass is then blown up in order to fit into a groove mould which is used to create an optical effect on the glass. After that, the glass is blown up to a vase in a graphite mould.

The vase is knocked off the glassblowing pipe before being placed in a cooling oven, where the temperature is slowly reduced from 500°C to room temperature, which takes approximately six hours. Once it’s cold, it’s time for finishing and quality control. There remains the moment of breaking off the upper part, the so-called cap which remains. The glass cutter makes a mark using a diamond bit where he/she wants the glass to be cut. After that, the vase is warmed using a tapered gas flame which makes the glass crack along the mark. The edge that remains is sharp and must first be polished and thereafter melted using a gas flame so that it can be made round and soft.

The few vases that have glass defects or other defects are subsequently removed and melted down to be included in the process once again. The remainder are engraved with “Svensk Tenn” and designer Ann Wåhlström’s signature on the bottom, cleaned and checked a final time before finally being packaged and sent off.