32nd World Ceramic Tiles Forum in Indonesia

From November 9 to 12, the annual Forum of the world’s leading tile-producing countries took place in Yogyakarta, with 11 delegations participating from across the globe.

From November 9 to 12, 2025, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, hosted the 32nd edition of the World Ceramic Tiles Forum (WCTF). The event, organized by ASAKI, the Indonesian Ceramic Industry Association, brought together 47 representatives from 11 countries: Brazil, China, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States of America.

The Forum opened with presentations by each delegation on national statistics and key industry topics. On an aggregate level, total production across the 11 countries in 2024 reached 11.31 billion square meters, marking a 10.8% decline compared to 2023.

Regarding international trade, discussions focused on the complex situation surrounding multilateral and bilateral free trade negotiations, technical barriers to trade (such as mandatory certifications, export licenses, etc.), and the implementation of the revised customs codes of the Harmonized System (HS).

The ceramic tile industry, being highly trade-intensive, experienced an 8% decline in exports in 2024 compared to the previous year. Looking ahead to 2025, the sector is also expected to face negative impacts from global trade distortions, particularly due to reciprocal tariffs introduced in the United States. In this context, participants agreed that ensuring fair trade, protection of intellectual property and copyright, and effective rules on product origin transparency are essential to guarantee the necessary returns on investment for companies in the sector.

Other key items on the Forum’s agenda addressed the global challenges faced by the industry in relation to current trends in sustainability and circularity, embodied carbon, climate, and energy.

In particular, discussions on decarbonization technologies covered the current state of industrial research into process electrification and the use of green fuels (such as hydrogen and ammonia). The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to advancing in this direction, while acknowledging that, at present, the availability of technology and the cost of alternative energy sources do not yet allow for a full transition in the medium term.

Finally, the Forum emphasized the need to focus communication efforts on the key strengths of ceramic tiles—namely durability, energy efficiency, and fire safety—and agreed to collaborate more closely on promoting these aspects.

The WCTF will be followed by the ISO TC 189 plenary meeting, scheduled to take place in Yogyakarta from November 13 to 15, 2025.

The next Forum meeting is planned to be held in the Americas in November 2026.