LANDSCAPING & EXTERNAL WORKS 79


NATURAL STONE, ETHICALLY SOURCED


Matt Rob of the Stone Federation discusses the rising trend of buyers searching for ethically sourced natural stone, and the systems that are in place to prove the authenticity of such products.


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n 2015, The Modern Slavery Act was created to tackle slavery in the UK and ensure that businesses


responsibly and ethically managed their global supply chains. In the months that followed, the natural stone industry began to develop a resource that responded to the issues that The Modern Slavery Act highlighted, namely those of sourcing natural stone responsibly and ethically. In February of 2018, The Ethical Stone


Register was launched, enabling natural stone firms of any size to offer a responsi- ble and manageable ethical sourcing solution to their clients. The response from the different sectors of the industry was overwhelmingly positive, and many of the professionals attending the launch became ambassadors for the scheme. The Ethical Stone Register includes three tiers of membership, each requiring an increasing level of external auditing and certification of the natural stone company.


There has already been a large shift in


public awareness of the issues of ethically sourcing materials, resulting in a greater demand for products that deliver trans- parency in their ethical procurement policies and environmental and societal sustainability. The retail sector has seen perhaps the most impactful shift, but the construction sector is following suit. Clients are wanting the peace of mind that their project isn’t using materials that involve child labour, bonded labour or other unethical working practices. The conventional pathway to the


correct selection of which stone to use for a landscape project has always included sample panel inspections, matching finishes with application, and understanding how the stone’s geology affects its suitability for certain uses, but there is now an added element in the selection process. The question that all housebuilders


and developers should be asking is, “How much do I know about the ethical traceability of the materials used in my


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projects?” Simply saying, “I trust my suppliers” will no longer suffice, and more and more companies are demanding transparency throughout their supply chains. One natural stone company director commented that: “It has become an issue


that must not be ignored and will trigger an even greater demand for ethically and responsibly sourced stone. Major players in the construction industry will want to avoid the potential embarrassment of unsavoury practices in their supply chain.”


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