Decarbonising the Ceramics Sector: Building an Evidence Base

IDRIC’s first sector-specific workshop on the Ceramics sector was held online on 26th February 2026. This document is a summary of the discussions held at the workshop, including techno-economic barriers, opportunities, and policy recommendations for the sector in its transition to low-carbon technologies. Attendees included UK-wide industry stakeholders. The workshop output will inform a wider report and related research activity in IDRIC’s policy work on hard-to-abate sectors. 

The Ceramics sector is currently facing a myriad of challenges that make its decarbonisation extremely difficult. For many ceramics manufacturers, concerns are existential in the increasingly competitive global environment. Such concerns often sit ahead of conversations about (or can undermine) investing in low carbon technologies. Nevertheless, the sector has already invested considerably in upgrades to its processes and factories, as well as resources in analysing potential pathways for decarbonisation, including the development of a roadmap.

Alongside immediate commercial pressures, the sector also faces additional technical challenges that shape the realities of decarbonisation.

The sector also faces additional technical challenges that shape the realities of decarbonisation. Ceramics manufacturing generates emissions not just from fuel combustion, but also from the chemical decomposition of carbonates during firing. These intrinsic emissions set the sector apart from many other energy-intensive industries and cannot be eliminated simply by fuel-switching. 

Compounding these technical challenges, is the absence of and/or delays in providing enabling infrastructure as well as the lack of clear policy signals from government. With established factories dispersed across regions, often to be close to the source of their primary raw materials and skilled employees, relocating to hydrogen or carbon capture infrastructure is not feasible for most manufacturers, many of whom are also SMEs.

The workshop also identified opportunities to support progress that has already been made. Participants highlighted the potential for closing the deployment gap by accelerating the roll-out of existing technologies through mechanisms such as Contracts for Difference (CfDs), targeted capex and opex support, and improved access to electricity cost-relief schemes where a number of factors have contributed to limited access for support from government. There was support for reinvesting UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) revenues into industrial decarbonisation to help de-risk early adoption and maintain competitiveness.

The workshop also highlighted the need for continued Research and Innovation (R&I) to address the most complex aspects of ceramics decarbonisation, including high-temperature kiln operations, alternative materials, advanced kiln design and improved heat-recovery technologies. 

Against this backdrop, the workshop highlighted an urgent need for coherent policy, infrastructure planning, and recognition of the sector’s unique challenges if the UK is to retain its ceramics industry and support its transition towards a lower carbon future whilst ensuring growth and competitiveness.

A detailed summary can be found below.