The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) has voiced its strong support for the Ceramics UK Recovery Plan, calling on the Government to take urgent action to protect Britain’s ceramics and tableware sector.
The UK ceramics industry - long recognised as a key part of British manufacturing and export heritage - is currently experiencing increasing cost pressures. Higher energy prices, cautious consumer spending, and strong international competition are creating difficult conditions for many long-established producers.
As part of its ongoing lobbying efforts, BHETA has written to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, the Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP, with its Chief Operating Officer Will Jones outlining the serious challenges facing the industry and urging a swift, positive resolution to discussions currently underway with the Department for Business and Trade.
BHETA represents a number of leading British ceramics and tableware manufacturers, including Denby Pottery and Portmeirion, both of which have reported mounting cost pressures due to sustained high energy prices, weaker consumer demand, and intensified international competition.
The letter highlights a growing crisis across the sector, citing recent closures and production pauses among well-known names such as Moorcroft Pottery, Royal Stafford, and Wedgwood. According to industry data, UK ceramics producers are paying substantially higher industrial energy costs than their European and Asian counterparts - an imbalance that threatens the long-term viability of British manufacturing. GMB/Nottingham Trent research estimates the sector’s energy bill now exceeds £875 million annually, up from £544 million in 2020 - a £330 million rise in just a few years. For energy-intensive producers reliant on kilns and glazing, this is ‘an existential burden’.
BHETA fully supports the proposals set out in the Ceramics UK Recovery Plan, which call for:
- Bridging the industrial energy cost gap for heat-dependent industries;
- Transitional reliefs for energy-intensive manufacturers;
- Investment support for decarbonisation and energy efficiency; and
- Enhanced export and innovation backing for UK-made ceramics.
In his letter Will Jones noted that each closure or contraction in the sector carries wider implications for supply chains, local employment, and the preservation of specialist skills. “The UK ceramics and tableware industry is part of our national identity - synonymous worldwide with quality, craftsmanship, and heritage,” he wrote. “With coordinated, timely intervention under the Ceramics UK Recovery Plan, we can ensure that these businesses not only survive but lead in sustainable manufacturing for the future.”
BHETA reaffirms its commitment to working closely with Ceramics UK, government officials, and industry partners to deliver practical outcomes for the sector.
Click below to read the full letter from Will Jones.
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