A Historic Industry Under Pressure
Britain’s ceramics industry is warning that soaring energy bills are threatening one of the country’s most historic manufacturing sectors. In Stoke-on-Trent, long regarded as the spiritual home of ceramics since the Industrial Revolution, companies say they have strong products, skilled workers and international demand, but are being squeezed by energy costs they cannot absorb indefinitely.
Executives at Mantec and Portmeirion Group argue that they are not seeking handouts. Their demand is for a level playing field on energy costs, especially as UK manufacturers compete with overseas producers that often face lower bills and different regulatory burdens.
Energy Bills Hold Back Expansion
Portmeirion Group chief executive Mike Raybould said the company has the space, workforce and global demand to expand, with two thirds of its tableware destined for export markets. Yet high energy costs are preventing the business from moving ahead with growth plans.
The problem is not only that bills are higher than in the past, but that they are higher than in many competing countries. For a sector that relies heavily on gas powered kilns, this creates a structural disadvantage at a time when global competition and imported products are already putting pressure on margins.
Gas Dependence Creates A Policy Gap
Ceramics production requires extremely high temperatures, often above 1,000C and sometimes sustained for days. Although companies are trying to electrify in line with the UK’s net zero targets, the technology is not yet ready at scale, leaving the sector about 80% dependent on gas.
That creates two challenges. Manufacturers face higher wholesale gas costs, intensified by the war in Iran, and many have also been excluded from government support schemes that focus mainly on electricity intensive industries. Portmeirion has repeatedly sought access to the British Industry Supercharger scheme, which would reduce electricity bills, but has been turned down.
Skills And Local Economies Are At Risk
The ceramics sector contributes about 2 billion pounds to the British economy and employs 22,000 people across the country. In Stoke-on-Trent, companies such as Portmeirion are deeply tied to the local community, with many workers coming from families connected to the potteries.
Raybould warned that if these skills are lost, the country will struggle to recover them. Producing high quality ceramics requires years of training and experience, and many workers spend decades mastering specialist techniques. The risk is not just factory closures, but the permanent loss of industrial knowledge built over generations.
Ceramics Supports The Green Transition
Mantec sales director Tim Evans said ceramics are essential far beyond tableware. The company produces heat storage bricks, filters and technical components used in industries ranging from defence and medicine to aerospace and electric vehicles.
Some products help support the energy transition itself. Heat storage bricks, for example, require significant energy to produce, but can then help households shift toward electric heating. Ceramic filters also play a role in battery materials, catalytic converters and advanced jet turbines. For the sector, this strengthens the case that supporting ceramics is not separate from industrial strategy or net zero policy.
Calls For A More Pragmatic Energy Strategy
Industry leaders argue that the government’s current approach is too rigid and risks damaging domestic manufacturing without reducing global emissions. If UK ceramics production disappears, buyers may simply import similar products made with fossil fuels elsewhere, while Britain loses jobs, skills and export capacity.
The crisis has already affected well known names. Denby Pottery entered administration after 217 years in business, while Johnsons Tiles closed its UK factory in 2023 and Royal Stafford entered liquidation last year. UK Ceramics chief executive Rob Flello said the sector does not want subsidies, but needs action on energy costs and access to support schemes. For manufacturers, investors and policymakers, the central issue is whether Britain can protect strategic industries while managing the transition to cleaner energy.
