Bone china and sustainability

Bone china is not automatically “sustainable”, and it is not automatically the opposite. Its environmental story depends on how long a piece is used, how it is fired, and where its ingredients come from.

A long working life

A well-made piece of vitrified tableware can be used for decades, and fine bone china is often kept for generations. Long life spreads the impact of making over many years of use. That benefit is real only if pieces are actually kept and used, and it is shared with other durable ceramics.

Where bone ash comes from

Traditional bone ash is made from cattle bone, a by-product of the meat industry, calcined to an inorganic mineral. Using a by-product is a genuine point in its favour. It does not change the ingredient’s animal origin, which matters to many people for ethical, dietary or religious reasons. Some makers now use calcium phosphate from mineral or synthetic sources: Halcyon Days, for example, states that it no longer uses animal bone.

The energy question

Ceramics are fired, and firing takes a great deal of heat. Bone china’s biscuit firing is typically in the region of 1,200–1,300°C, followed by glaze and decoration firings. Energy is the industry’s largest environmental and financial pressure, and high energy costs have contributed to recent closures in the Potteries. Efficient modern kilns, fuller loads and fewer rejects all reduce the energy per finished piece.

Rejects and recycling

Bone china’s difficulty in the kiln means losses. Fired ceramic cannot be re-melted like glass, but some makers are finding uses for it: NIKKO in Japan has developed a process that turns crushed bone china into fertiliser, using its phosphate content.