Sustainability / Our Journey
We’re the people who think sustainably when it comes to stone.
At the largest scale we recognise our role in a global struggle to reverse the effects of climate change. Natural stone is an exceptionally durable building material, which can last for hundreds, if not thousands of years in some cases. Natural stone production requires low energy inputs compared to artificially made alternatives. Carefully managed stone extraction and production is sustainable and part of a low carbon future.
On the smallest scale, the places where people live, work and play influence the quality of their individual lives. Natural stone is a signature of a high quality built environment.
Our most ambitious goal is to become a carbon neutral business by 2030, in relation to Scope 1 and 2 emissions as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. We recognise the challenge this poses to a business involved in mineral extraction; technology has not yet developed to the point that we can completely forgo diesel and other harmful impacts. However – through our own innovative carbon sequestration techniques we hope to be able to offset our direct impact.
Our products are designed with sustainability in mind. we’re currently conducting a review of our products’ qualities against the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Our view is this helps us baseline our current position against our future sustainability goals.
How we work towards sustainablity
- We visit our international partners to ensure they meet our welfare standards, and where possible prefer sourcing stone from the closest geographic source
- Our own products are made using a 100% renewable energy tariff in line with United Nations sustainable development goal 9.4
- All of our own products are made using ecycled meteoric and surface water in its operations which is in line with the United Nations sustainable development goal 6.4
- Our Cornish Granite is taken from existing, historic reserves, meaning no new stone is being actively quarried to meet this need
- Our natural stone is inert, fire resistant and is not chemically treated
- Natural stone can have a lifespan of hundreds of years, and at the end of its lifecycle it can usually either be returned to the natural environment with low impact, or re-used in a different way, such as use as reclaimed stone, or being crushed up for use as an aggregate.
- Natural stone has much lower embodied carbon than alternative materials, such as concrete, in line with United Nations sustainable development goal 12.2
- Caradon Stone utilises and reworks reclaimed building materials where possible in line with United Nations sustainable development goal 12.5
- Waste from all of our quarrying operations is inert and is stored on site as part of its Long Term Quarry Remediation Plan in line with United Nations sustainable development goal 12.4
- Where possible, we design our new products so that any additional fittings can be removed, allowing for disposal or reuse.
- We’ve also committed to low impact on our quarried environment. Each of our quarries is planned and worked according to various environmental impact assessments and a restoration plan, which will see each quarry properly returned to either a suitable natural, greenfield environment, or into some other sustainable usage.
We’ve only recently started our journey towards true sustainability and are still learning. We’re actively looking for partners to work with us to help us to achieve our ambitious goals, and would love to share this journey with our customers. If you’d like to stay up to date or give us your comments, please consider signing up for our newsletter.
Where quality meets sustainability – Discover our range of over 75 natural stone materials from the heart of Cornwall.