Responsible sourcing of natural stone

At a glance

Descriptions are the issuers’ and the trade bodies’ own: BRE (BES 6001 page), the Ethical Trading Initiative (2014-era guide to Rajasthan sandstone), Stone Federation Great Britain (2010 and 2011 guides) and legislation.gov.uk. Read 7 Nov 2026.

The route from quarry to site

A stone reaches a project through a chain: quarry or mine, block yard, processing works, trader or importer, workshop and site. Each step can hold a document, and each document answers a narrow question. The Ethical Trading Initiative’s guide to Rajasthan sandstone, which maps a chain of this shape, advises buyers to start with their direct suppliers and work down, and to make it a key requirement that suppliers disclose who they source from. It notes that some products, such as dimension stone, are easier to trace than others, such as cobbles, because of differences in the upstream process.

The guide also warns that contract labour used for packing, loading and other lower-skilled tasks can be an indicator of risk, because contract workers tend to be employed informally and paid by the piece. For a floor, slabs and tiles are dimension stone, so a traceable chain is a reasonable thing to ask for.

What we can and cannot say about origin countries. The risk sources we read concern Rajasthan sandstone: the ETI says its principles can be applied to other sourcing contexts, and Stone Federation Great Britain says child labour and bonded labour are still used in quarries in the developing world. We found no source on labour conditions in Italian, Turkish or Brazilian quarries, so this sheet makes no claim about them, good or bad. Ask the same questions of every origin.

Four questions, four kinds of evidence

The drawing sets four questions against the evidence that answers each. A document that answers one question says nothing about the next, and that is where claims get stretched: a certificate for a management system is not proof of working conditions, and a declaration of performance is not proof of either.

Origin. Stone Federation Great Britain asks for samples to be labelled with the traditional name, quarry location and country of origin and the rock family, to BS EN 12440, with a sample reference, and notes that imported stone is often sold under commercial names that give no origin or performance information. Our stone sample, slab and book-match approval sheet covers how to tie a sample to a slab.

Performance. Look for a CE or UKCA mark that refers to a product standard and a declaration of performance: see natural stone flooring specification. It is about the stone, not the supply chain.

Management. An environmental management system can be certificated to ISO 14001 or EMAS, but Stone Federation Great Britain says most dimension stone operations are small and few, if any, are certificated, and that comparing environmental impacts from documents alone is harder outside the EU. In the absence of paper, it suggests asking about the operation and looking at its environmental policy and restoration plan.

What BES 6001 is, and its limits

BES 6001 is BRE’s framework standard for the responsible sourcing of construction products. BRE describes it as a holistic approach to managing a product from the mining or harvesting of raw materials, in three sections: organisational management, supply chain management and sustainable development management. BRE published the reviewed issue 4.0 in September 2022.

• It certifies a product, not a company. BRE says it is the materials or products that are covered, not the organisation. So the certificate should name your stone, from the source you are buying. A producer holding a certificate for one stone does not extend it to its other stones, or to a trader’s stock from elsewhere.
• It carries a rating. BRE says a higher level of compliance can earn a higher performance rating. The rating names and the thresholds are in the standard, which we did not read, so we state none. Write the level you want into the specification as a level, and check it on the register.
• It has a validity period. BRE says the certificate is valid for three years, with annual verification, and is published on its listing website, GreenBookLive. Ask for the certificate number and check the entry.
• It connects to BREEAM. BRE says it offers a route to credits in the BREEAM family. How many credits, and for which stone, comes from the BREEAM manual in force, which we did not read; ask the sustainability consultant.
• It is voluntary. Some stone producers have published a rating for a named quarry or mine; we did not check any of them on the register. Most stone suppliers will not hold one, and that alone says nothing about their practice. The question is what they can evidence instead.

Audits, the supply-chain statement and dust

The ETI guide describes social audits as useful for measuring a supplier’s implementation of labour standards and spotting certain issues, but also says that audits alone cannot drive fundamental improvement in complex, informal chains, and that problems such as bonded labour are not easily resolved by a compliance approach. It asks for audits to include worker interviews, document review and visual inspection, with management interviews, and to look at root causes. For a buyer, that suggests asking what an audit covered, when, which tier it reached, and what was done afterwards.

The statutory statement. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires a commercial organisation above a turnover threshold, set in regulations, to prepare a slavery and human trafficking statement each financial year. The statement must describe the steps taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its supply chains or its own business, or say that no steps were taken. It is not a certification. A statement from your supplier or from the studio tells you what the organisation says it does; it does not tell you where a particular slab came from or how that quarry treats its workers. If the supplier is not covered, ask for the same information voluntarily.

Occupational dust is a second area. The ETI guide names silicosis among the serious health risks of stone work. See engineered stone and silica guidance for the UK position on silica dust in fabrication.

Eight questions for the stone partner

These are the questions to put to the stone partner for each stone on a schedule. They ask for evidence; the answers are the partner’s, and the studio does not answer them for the partner.

1. What is the stone’s traditional name, quarry or mine, country, and rock family, and does the label match the declaration and test reports?
2. Who owns or operates the quarry, who cuts the blocks, and who makes the slabs or tiles? Which of these does the partner buy from directly, and which through a trader?
3. Does any certificate cover this stone from this source (for example BES 6001, ISO 14001)? Give the number, scope, rating, expiry and where it is listed.
4. Has a labour or social audit been done at the quarry, the works and the yard, by whom, when, and at which tier? Were workers interviewed? What was corrected afterwards?
5. Does the supplier publish a slavery and human trafficking statement, and which supply does it cover?
6. Can you visit the quarry and the works, or send an independent consultant, before the order?
7. How are blocks and slabs identified from quarry to site, so the stone delivered is the stone that was approved?
8. What can the partner not evidence for this stone, and what will it do about that?

Each natural stone on the schedule to be supplied with a written origin declaration giving the traditional name, quarry or mine, country, rock family (BS EN 12440), the processing works and the trader if any, and the block or slab numbers delivered. The stone delivered shall be the stone of the approved sample and the origin declaration. Any change of quarry or works to be notified before order for approval.

The partner shall provide, for each stone and source, the responsible sourcing evidence it holds [BES 6001 certificate number, scope, rating and expiry / ISO 14001 certificate / social or labour audit, date, scope and tier / slavery and human trafficking statement of the supplier], and shall state in writing any item it cannot provide. A minimum of [ ] is required for [project]. No claim about responsible sourcing shall be made in project documents beyond what this evidence shows.

The partner shall arrange, on reasonable notice, a visit by [designer / independent consultant] to the quarry and the processing works before order [and before the final batch].

Standards and sources

• BRE, BES 6001 issue 4.0 (September 2022); Ethical Trading Initiative, guide to ethical sourcing of natural stone from Rajasthan; Stone Federation Great Britain, SS 01 and Choosing and Using Natural Stone: pages and guides read 7 Nov 2026; the BES 6001 standard and register were not.
• Modern Slavery Act 2015 s54 (legislation.gov.uk); BS EN 12440 and BS EN 12058:2015: s54 read 7 Nov 2026; the standards are named, not read.

Questions we are asked

Is BES 6001 a guarantee that a stone is ethically sourced?

No. BRE describes it as a framework covering organisational, supply chain and sustainable development management for a certified product, with a rating, a three-year validity and annual verification. It is a certification of a product against that framework. It is not a guarantee for other stones the same producer sells, nor for a trader’s stock from elsewhere, and what it audits at the quarry is set out in the standard, which we did not read.

What is the difference between an origin label and a responsible sourcing certificate?

The label says what the stone is and where it is from (name, quarry location, country, rock family). A responsible sourcing certificate says something about how the product and its supply chain are managed. A stone can have a clear label and no certificate.

Do I need a slavery statement from the stone supplier?

Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires a statement from a commercial organisation that supplies goods or services and meets a turnover threshold set in regulations. A smaller supplier is not covered, and a statement is not a certification. Ask the supplier what it does for this supply.

Can a visit replace documents?

Stone Federation Great Britain says first-hand experience of the site is invaluable in assessing different operations and operators, and advises that a stone consultant or geologist goes if the buyer is not familiar with stone. A visit shows one day; documents show what is claimed over time. Use both.

What should I do if the partner cannot provide any certificate?

Ask what it can evidence instead: an origin declaration, audit reports, a visit, supplier disclosure. Record the gap in writing. Not holding a certificate does not mean a poor supply chain, and holding one does not mean a good one for your stone.

Does this sheet say the studio’s stone is responsibly sourced?

No. The studio coordinates stone through partner workshops. It does not claim to own or operate quarries and does not claim a responsible sourcing certificate. For each stone, ask the partner to evidence what it can.