International origins - The Story of Marshalls Stone

International origins - The Story of Marshalls Stone

India, China, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey…all these countries supply stone into the UK market through Marshalls.  Each country brings with it its own problems and opportunities; some of these are issues of Health and Safety which are easily overcome, whilst others are social issues in the form of a lack of living wages, prison-bonded or even child labour. 

In April, I was honoured to receive an invitation to visit Rory Kendrick, International Natural Stone Sourcing Director for Marshalls who explained the complex supply chain issues surrounding the sourcing of international stone.

At the very start of the process, when the faint vision of an exciting new quarry is on the horizon, Marshalls work with Stirling Smith, a well experienced independent auditor to ensure that any skeletons that the quarry owners have in their cupboards are exposed – no matter how good the quality of the stone, Marshalls will not deal with them if they are not able to bring their working practices in line with the ETI base code – the Ethical Trading Initiatives’ international code of conduct which aims to reduce child and bonded labour and ensures the right to living wages and freedom of association, amongst other issues. 

The social and ethical issues of acquiring stone became a core issue for Marshalls when they joined the Ethical Trading Initiative in 2005. From this point on, they have been at the forefront, driving change within the industry and producing their own Fairstone Mark for imported stone.  Although the issue of child labour hit the headlines a few years ago, it is still prevalent, especially in India despite the fact that it has been illegal since 1986.  Illegal or not, today there are still 1,000,000 Indian children working in stone quarries across the country (roughly 20% of all workers).

Each year, 133,000 tonnes of the stone they produce ends up on the streets, squares, gardens and driveways of the U.K.

Partnering with Unicef, Marshalls is the only UK based company within this sector working to ensure that this is not the case with the stone that they import. Donating £1 for every 1m2 of Fairstone that Marshalls sell, the money goes directly to Unicef to help them to tackle this complex global problem.

Chris Harrop, Marshall’s Director of Sustainability said;

It is appalling that children, some as young as five or six, work in dangerous and terrifying conditions in quarries. How would we feel if these were our own children? It doesn’t bear thinking about.   We want people to be able to buy this beautiful product with a clear conscience. By choosing Marshalls Fairstone you can be sure that everything possible has been done to ensure child labour has not been used in its production.  Our customers can feel proud that they have become part of the solution to this appalling issue.”

New sources of stone are found all over the world every year, but they only enter the market after rigorous testing, ensuring that they are resilient enough for their various end uses.  Even in the far-flung corners of the globe, the same rigorous tests are used to ensure that The Stone Standard is not compromised.

The Stone Standard – Indian Stone

Marshalls has recently undertaken extensive testing of a range of Indian Sandstone paving available on the UK market today and has discovered that 50% do not meet the British Standard.  Sandstones can appear the same when displayed at a merchant or in a brochure, but they do have different properties and can perform very differently when installed. Laboratory testing gives you a full picture of the technical quality of stone.  The same factors of water absorbency, flexural strength and frost resistance need to be considered alongside their ethical origins. 

At this point in time in the UK, I believe that only Marshalls Fairstone can guarantee a good quality product and a clear conscience, something that I hope will encourage other companies to follow suit...I'd love another UK company to prove me wrong!

Climate Change - Carbon Counting and SUDS

Did I mention that Marshalls also lead the way in allowing the consumer to make an informed choice about the environmental impact of the stone they purchase?  Working with the Carbon Trust, Marshalls is the first company in the world to carbon footprint its entire UK domestic manufactured range.  For the consumer, this means that a visit to the Marshalls website can tell you exactly how much CO2 has been produced per m2. It’s an accessible, friendly and important way of allowing the consumer to minimise their own carbon footprint, and provides the opportunity for the consumer to drive change within the marketplace. 

And, when it comes to UK climate change, we’ve all experienced the increasingly sudden downpours that turn our driveways and roads into temporary rivers.  To counter-act this, Marshalls have also produced a range of permeable driveway products which look stunning, allow the water to percolate though into the ground below and do not require planning permission if the land was once garden.

All of this leaves me in no doubt that Marshalls are extremely committed to the work that they do to lessen their impact on our planet.

At the end of my tour, I shake Rory Kendrick’s hand and thank him for his valuable time.  My visit has been illuminating and enjoyable, and I leave hopeful that other companies may one day follow suit. 

As I said at the start of my Humble Origins article -  I’m difficult to impress.

I leave Marshalls impressed.

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