UK Ceramics Industry Faces Crisis Amid High Energy Costs and Competition
The UK ceramics sector, which supports around 20,000 jobs including many in Staffordshire potteries, is facing a serious crisis driven by high energy costs, cheap imports, and underinvestment. Trade unions such as GMB and organizations like Green Alliance have urged the government to act swiftly to address gas pricing and reduce regulatory barriers to aid the struggling potteries.
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), emphasized the industry's importance as a vital economic asset and national identity, highlighting its chronic under-support amid soaring energy bills and unfair import competition. Ceramics play a critical enabling role in sectors like energy, defence, medical technology, and advanced manufacturing.
The sector finds itself at a critical juncture and demands urgent and accelerated actions beyond current governmental measures. The Department for Business and Trade noted that existing interventions include a supercharger scheme aimed at significantly lowering energy prices, alongside a British industrial competitiveness scheme designed to reduce electricity costs for manufacturing sectors by up to 25%.
Policy recommendations focus on reducing industrial energy expenses, addressing unfair trade practices, and providing targeted capital support to modernize and decarbonize ceramic manufacturing sites. The report particularly highlights the Staffordshire potteries and warns that without immediate action, the UK risks losing key strategic ceramics capabilities.
