Around 150 people from across the country attended the UK ceramics industry’s flagship conference focussed on decarbonisation.
Delivering Net Zero for British Ceramics 2023 was held at Staffordshire University’s Catalyst Building and hosted by the British Ceramic Confederation – which is based in Stoke-on-Trent.
It provided the opportunity for delegates from industry, Government and other organisations to hear latest industry best practice and collaboration, updates on key research as well as decarbonisation initiatives.
The lively event included guest speakers from We Are Liminal, the Energy Networks Association, the Department of Energy Security & Net Zero, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive, and the British Ceramic Confederation; with a large number of exhibitors, roundtable discussions and Q&A Panels also taking place.
A number of awards were presented on the day to recognise colleagues driving forward change and leading by example:
The 2023 Award Winners were:
- Delivering Decarbonisation: Imerys Minerals
- Decarbonisation in Action: Churchill China
- Decarbonisation Trailblazers: Wienerberger, DSF Refractories
- SME Decarbonisation: Northcot Brick, Hinton Perry & Davenhill, Parkinson-Spencer Refractories, DSF Refractories
- Individual Net Zero Business Advocate: Darren Bowkett (Ibstock)
- Special recognition awards: Mark Thompson (Johnson Tiles), Jafar Daji (Parkinson Spencer Refractories), Sarah Le Gresley (MBH), Georgina Salt (Ideal Standard)
- Employee Engagement: Denby Pottery
BCC President Dr Alan McLelland, Vice-President – Technology at Morgan Advanced Materials, said: “The high attendance at our Industry Decarbonisation Conference – including UK ceramic manufacturers, suppliers and stakeholders – shows how seriously we treat the challenge of transitioning to a net zero UK.
“Decarbonisation is such an imperative issue for the sector so the industry coming together to discuss and share ideas is critical to moving forward.”
BCC’s Senior Manager – Industrial & Environmental Policy Manager, Lee Brownsword added: “This Conference continues to showcase the exceptional work and commitments being made by companies in the sector’s strive to be net zero by 2050, and was a chance to highlight some genuine decarbonisation success stories.
“We thank our many event sponsors, speakers and exhibitors for their support as we continue working collaboratively towards Delivering Net Zero for British Ceramics.”
