Ceramics In Society & Net Zero Transition     

As both a foundation and advanced industry, the UK ceramics industry is strategically important, with ceramic products playing many essential roles across the UK economy in critical supply chains, and in many uses with no substitutable alternatives.

A vast array of durable, long-life goods, from well-known products to cutting-edge materials, with a strong emphasis on product quality and performance characteristics, the breadth of societal applications of ceramic goods is enormous, including:

Refractories

Withstanding thermal, mechanical and chemically-challenging environments, refractories play a critical, often overlooked role in the operation of almost every high-temperature process and vital for the safe operation, structural protection and thermal efficiency of:

• Industry: All heat-intensive manufacturing sectors (such as steel, cement/lime, glass, ceramics, petrochemical, paper)

• Power generation: Gas-fired, nuclear, waste incineration.

Advanced Ceramics

A range of high-performance products used in:

• Industry: High-temperature insulating/corrosion-resistant components integral to heat-intensive production processes, heat recovery systems, steam generation and energy storage systems

• Transport: Fuel-efficiency components, protection for Electric Vehicle batteries

• Power generation: Components in all generation methods (gas, nuclear, wind, solar)

• Aviation/aerospace: Blade cores, thermal barrier coatings and craft nose cones

Clay Construction Products

Clay construction products are renowned for their durability to face permanent exposure to demanding climate conditions. Clay brick, for example, has been the façade material of choice for centuries, with products of high thermal mass, long-life (typically in use for in excess of 150 years) and requiring minimal maintenance over their lifetime. Clay drainage pipes/clay roof tiles are equally of high strength/longevity, and manufactured to precise specifications.

Whiteware Construction Products

Wall/floor tiles and sanitary ware, both long-life, key aesthetic home products with sanitary roles.

Tableware & Giftware

Highly durable and reusable products, outperforming alternatives and requiring low levels of replacement. Withstand high-use commercial environments and products being passed down the generations.

Industry Suppliers

Whilst not directly incumbent in the Decarbonisation Roadmap, the sector has very close ties with its many specialist raw material and equipment suppliers (as BCC members), and of course refractory producers for high-temperature process insulation materials. The sector collaborates with its suppliers, including areas such as research into hydrogen for firing.

Downstream Value Chain for Product Users

Many ceramic goods are used as components of much larger, complex end-use systems or structures (such as housing which can vary in construction design, vehicles, wind turbines etc.). With literally thousands of ceramic product types, and in very niche roles, understanding value chain decarbonisation contribution is very challenging. Nevertheless, the thermally-insulating properties contribute greatly to downstream emissions reductions in the above range of applications; and also other critical roles products literally enable the processes society depends on.