We recently spoke with Declaration Level member, LSI Stone, a Portuguese company with extensive experience in large projects, specialising in cut-to-size projects, coverings, cladding, facades, tiles, and more. LSI Stone are suppliers of a wide variety of limestones, marbles and granites.
Stone Federation: Congratulations on achieving Declaration Level – what was the motivation for engaging with this scheme?
LSI Stone: Motivation is in every goal achieved as a team. Reaching this level is undoubtedly a great inspiration to grow and develop more projects.
Stone Federation: Have you seen an increased demand from your clients for ethically and responsibly sourced natural stone?
LSI Stone: Yes, lately the market is more and more demanding, so it’s not only our clients that ask for an effective evolution in labour terms, but we have also made this available since the creation of the company itself. The fact of choosing natural stone only brings advantages to them in the long run, considering its durability and aesthetics limestone is always a great sustainable and trendy option.
Stone Federation: How will this achievement benefit you as a company that supplies stones from many different locations?
LSI Stone: We will mainly benefit from the issue of environmentally responsible ethics. It is really very important for us to convey quality, safety and high-quality stone while always taking the environment into account. That’s why it’s great to know that all projects around the world integrate what we have been preserving: quality with sustainability
Stone Federation: What were the greatest challenges in meeting the criteria of the scheme?
LSI Stone: Keeping up with the future. We do not predict the future, so it is always an exigent challenge. Fortunately, we have teams specialized in keeping up with everything from new equipment to new communication strategies. This is the only way we can follow demanding scenarios and meet them successfully, as we have done to date.
Stone Federation: How do you see ethics and responsibility in the sourcing of materials developing over the next five years?
LSI Stone: I believe that in the next 5 years some raw materials will be difficult to find, but possible. For this, it is necessary to continue to innovate and find new market methods that can make the product more profitable so that there is no waste. Currently, LSI Stone’s means of sustainability are well underway and will become more so with the advance of new technologies. We combine efficiency with product quality, which is why LSI Stone has been able to accompany large-scale projects with responsibility.
There are three tiers of membership of the Register, Declaration, Verification and Accreditation and the requirements of each level are explained below.
Declaration – At this tier, companies will have to complete a questionnaire looking at the responsible and ethical sourcing practices of their business. To achieve this level, a company will need to meet 100% of the criteria. The claims and assertions made by a firm at this level will be by means of self-declaration.
Verification – At this tier, the claims made by a company at the Declaration level will be externally verified. The initial verification will be for the company rather than each material they supply, however, they may choose to have some or all of their stones included at Verification level. This will involve an independent auditor assessing the journey of the material and ensuring that the responsible and ethical sourcing criteria are met the whole way along the supply chain. Only verified stones will appear on the Register itself.
Accreditation – At this tier, members will have met the requirements of the Declaration and Verification tiers and will be further audited for this level. The aim is to have the scheme recognised and to gain credits within schemes such as BREEAM and LEED at this tier.
To find out more information about the Ethical Stone Register, go to www.ethicalstoneregister.co.uk or email info@ethicalstoneregister.co.uk.
The Ethical Stone Register is a unique resource created specifically for the natural stone industry, in response to The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the issues of sourcing materials responsibly. The project will allow natural stone companies, whatever their size, to offer a responsible and manageable ethical sourcing solution to their clients. There are three tiers of membership of the Register, Declaration, Verification and Accreditation.
