Click on the individual stages in the information graphic on the left to learn more about the ecological and social risks when procuring natural stone.

The natural stone supply chain begins with the extraction of blocks of stone (raw material). Natural stones are usually extracted in large blocks. These are separated from the rock either by blasting or by drilling, and then broken down into smaller blocks using pneumatic tools and wedges.

Examples of environmental and social challenges encountered when extracting natural stone can include:

Ecological risks

• land usage
• soil degradation 
• land-use conflicts
• high water and energy consumption
• no restoration of the natural environment after extraction

Social risks

• low wages
• damage to health caused by inadequate protection against dust (one illness that occurs frequently is silicosis, a 'dust lung disease')
• inadequate protection of workers against other hazards such as accidents with pieces of rock, tools or noise
• no worker representation
• debt bondage
• lack of social protection and irregular income

Further reading (in German)

• Werkstatt Ökonomie (2014): Natursteine nachhaltig beschaffen: für Umweltschutz und Menschenrechte 
• WEED e.V. (2019): Handbook Sozial verantwortliche Beschaffung am Beispiel von Natursteinen und IT (from p. 31)
• NDR-Reportage (2020): Terrasse aus Billigstein. Wie gut ist die Ware aus China?
• Katja Gnittke on behalf of WEED e.V. (2020): Beschaffung von Natursteinen unter Berücksichtigung der Transportentfernung 

The extracted raw blocks are either split into smaller blocks right at the quarry, usually with power hammers or saws, or transported to a plant for further processing. 

The plant may be located in the country of extraction or in a third country. Here is an example of a typical supply chain today: extraction in India – further processing in China – use in Germany. However, natural stones are also extracted and processed in Germany, or extracted in Europe and transported to China for processing before being re-imported as finished products. Some processing plants also manufacture finished products such as kitchen worktops or gravestones. 

Smaller-sized material is either worked at the quarry itself or (e.g. in India) transported by the mine owner via subcontractors to local villages. There pieces of stone are processed by entire families, including children, for low wages. After being worked with hammers and chisels, the stones are picked up by the next middleman. 

The path from the quarry to the final consumer thus has many turnings that make it more difficult to protect workers. Nonetheless, traders and purchasers ultimately hold the reins: They can influence the situation by demanding proof of compliance with labour standards or by purchasing certified goods. One alternative is natural stones from Germany or Europe for which there is clear proof of compliance with regulations to protect workers and environmental standards in extraction and processing. Recycled natural stones are also a good alternative, and an environmentally friendly one.

Ecological risks

• land usage
• high water and energy consumption

Social risks

• low wages
• damage to health caused by inadequate protection against dust (one illness that occurs frequently is silicosis, a 'dust lung disease')
• inadequate protection of workers against other hazards such as accidents with pieces of rock, tools or noise
• no worker representation
• mainly in India: child labour, forced labour, debt bondage, lack of schooling
• lack of social protection and irregular income.

Further reading (in German)

• WEED e.V. (2019): Handbook Sozial verantwortliche Beschaffung am Beispiel von Natursteinen und IT (from p. 31)
• Spiegel-Artikel von Petra Sorge und Julia Wadhawan (2018): Das Blut, das an Ihrer Natursteinterrasse klebt
• Wissenschaftliches Gutachten zu § 4a des Gesetzes über das Friedhofs- und Bestattungswesen des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (Bestattungsgesetz – BestG NRW) von Prof. Dr. Walter Eberlei & Nina Schröder, Hochschule Düsseldorf (2016): Kinderarbeit im Naturstein-Sektor in Indien?
• WEED e.V. (2019): Lernvideo Sozial verantwortliche Naturstein Beschaffung
• NRD Reportage (2020): Terrasse aus Billigstein. Wie gut ist die Ware aus China?
• Katja Gnittke on behalf of WEED e.V. (2020): Beschaffung von Natursteinen unter Berücksichtigung der Transportentfernung

When public buildings are erected, natural stone products are used chiefly for prestigious structures, for instance as natural stone façades for outside or inside walls, as floorings, or as material for steps. However, due to their relatively high price they are increasingly being replaced by other materials. 

In public road construction natural stones are used for granite kerbstones or as bricks (sandstone, limestone, basalt) in sound-dampening and separation walls. At the municipal level they are also used for cobblestones in historic town centres. Kerbstones often come from China, though in the last few years also increasingly from Turkey. 

Furthermore, natural stone gravel made from crushed granite is a popular filling material used for base and surface layers. Crushed limestone is used in approximately 20 per cent of the aggregate for concrete and cement. In rail construction, crushed natural stone is used forinstance as track ballast. Here there is a growing tendency to use recycled stone. 

The majority of natural stone (excluding ballast and gravel) is used in outdoor facility construction and landscape architecture. In public squares in inner cities, green spaces, urban gardens and children's playgrounds, planners often choose natural stone paving or slabs, as well as natural stone masonry. 

Natural stone materials are also used very often for historic monuments and in the burial industry. 

Social risks

• informal employment arrangements and low wages in the construction sector, and therefore in some cases
• lack of social protection and irregular income.

Further reading (in German)

• Teilstudie A von Ajit Thamburaj – Werkstatt Ökonomie und WEED e.V. (2020): Natursteine aus verantwortlichen Lieferketten

Natural stones have an extremely long lifespan of up to several hundred years. When no longer required they can be safely recycled naturally. They can even be recycled several times without any problem, even if 'all' this means is using gravel as a base layer in road construction. In Germany natural stones, unless they are inseparably combined with other material, can in most cases be recycled as building materials (for reuse in road construction, earthwork, landfill construction, or asphalt and concrete manufacture). No precise figures on the recycling of natural stones are available, as this falls under various categories such as building rubble or mineral construction waste. It is to be assumed that natural stones are disposed of, at least after private use (e.g. for a patio).

Further reading (in German)

• Initiative Kreislaufwirtschaft Bau: Mineralische Bauabfälle – Monitoringbericht 2016 (the next report will be du in early 2021)

Raw material from India, further processing in China, and sale and use in Germany – this is what supply chains in the natural stone sector can look like. Transport from the point of extraction in the quarry to the finished structure usually involves covering long stretches by sea, HGV and rail. Fuel consumption and exhaust fumes cause harm to the environment and climate, which also damages human health. 

From an environmental perspective it makes sense to procure recycled or domestically sourced natural stones in order to avoid the long transportation of this extremely heavy material. 

Ecological risk

• High fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions during transport by sea or HGV (when natural stones are transported from China, for example, emissions are 60x higher than when transporting domestically sourced stone)

Further reading (in German)

• Katja Gnittke on behalf of WEED e.V. (2020): Beschaffung von Natursteinen unter Berücksichtigung der Transportentfernung
• WEED e.V. (2019): Learning video Sozial verantwortliche Naturstein Beschaffung