Stone importers must be ethical

Specifiers need to address ethical issues when buying imported stone, contractors and suppliers told delegates at this year’s Natural Stone Show.

Companies also defended the quality of imported stone, particularly from the emerging Chinese market.

Arup director of materials Bruno Miglio told delegates they have to stipulate health and safety measures to suppliers in emerging export markets such as China, India and Brazil if they are to meet clients’ expectations.

He said: “There’s a moral issue when you go to India and see people with no shoes on their feet and you wonder if that’s where your cost-saving comes from.”

Miglio said the company will blacklist suppliers who do not meet its standards. He said: “From Arup’s perspective, we only want to do business with companies with health and safety measures. If there was anything like child labour at a quarry, that company would be crossed off the list.”

A spokesman for Marshalls (which was exhibiting at the show) agreed tight measures are needed, and stated that the company sets down its requirements for Chinese and Indian suppliers. He told CJ: “Certification is very good, particularly for local authorities procuring landscaping materials.” However, he warned UK firms should respect their suppliers’ cultures. He said: “It’s important not to change peoples’ culture, because in some places families can live beside the quarry, and it’s their whole livelihood.”

Miglio also told delegates that China’s importance as an exporter will increase, particularly as the UK has few granite sources and no indigenous marble. He said: “It would be wrong to think of the Chinese simply as a low-cost exporter. You will see as much modern machinery as on an Italian site.

“I’ve heard people say recently you can’t get decent granites from China, which is absolute nonsense.”

Miglio said specifiers should ask for the stone’s name and number from Chinese suppliers, which certifies the stone, province and quarry.

He said: “There’s huge investment going into China and we’re going to see a lot more material coming in. It’s good for the stone industry because if you look at external paving, it becomes a viable option.”

However, Stone Federation technical adviser John Bysouth warned that impending European regulations are driving up costs through excessive testing. He said: “What worries me is that if we’re not very careful as an industry, we will test ourselves out of business.”

Miglio agreed, and warned that tests should be suitable for the material’s application. He said: “We come across tens of thousands of pounds-worth of testing that’s blatantly unnecessary. If you’re going to use stone as cladding, why do you want to use crushing testing? Test where appropriate, and ask what the client is going to do with the results.”