Ethics
Stonepave UK Ltd has a very strict ethical policy which ensures that the welfare and conditions in our overseas manufacturing facilities are of the highest possible standard. Before an order is placed with any new suppliers we visit their quarries, factories and offices to see for ourselves what the conditions are like, and our high expectations are discussed at length.
Our established suppliers are visited regularly and we have often taken our customers to see for themselves how their orders are being processed.
When looking for suppliers in the Far East we are keen to trade with companies who place a high importance on the welfare of their workers. Many suppliers offer accommodation and healthcare facilities for their staff with on site training, and these companies hold the view that a happy, healthy worker is an efficient, effective, profitable, and above all else, safe worker.
Whilst some suppliers may offer slightly cheaper goods, we believe that supporting companies who share our values will continue to lift the general standard of the overseas quarrying industry, with caring, compassionate, employee friendly companies flourishing. Our trading with overseas suppliers, particularly those in the Far East, is of immense benefit to all concerned since the revenue earned stimulates the local economy, which in turn brings about the same kind of regeneration abroad that their products are being used for here in our own country.
Sustainability Policy
Whilst many of our materials are sourced from around the world, Stonepave UK Ltd are aware and sympathetic to growing concerns for sustainability, however, we believe that imported natural stone products have their part to play in the debate. One issue that we feel should not be overlooked is the lifetime cost of natural stone paving which may still be in use decades after it was first laid. Whilst a higher level of resources may have been invested into a project initially, when compared with say locally produced concrete paving which may need to be repaired and replaced on a relatively regular basis, a different picture may begin to emerge with regards to sustainability. Although we do have an indigenous natural stone paving industry in the UK our limited resources will not last forever. It could be argued, that the use of long lasting, value for money, imported stone in this country might allow us to prolong our reserves of indigenous materials to be used far more sensitively in areas of historic value for generations to come.