NSC Debuts Stone Sustainability Standards
CHICAGO – The Natural Stone Council (NSC) revealed tough new sustainability standards late last month for natural stone that seek to put it on par with other materials in the expanding field of green construction.
The standards, developed through American National Standards Institute (ANSI), will allow quarriers, processors and fabricators of natural stone who consistently meet or exceed the standards to promote and label their stone products as “certified Genuine Stone®.”
NSC revealed the standards, including a “Chain of Custody” procedure to ensure compliance, during the 2014 American Institute of Architects (AIA) convention here in late June.
“Accounting for the sustainability of natural stone now encompasses how the stone is quarried, processed and transported, and how its use impacts the facilities, environments and people who work with it,” said Moe Bohrer, NSC chairman. “The entire process of determining a product’s sustainability is part of the growing and global green-building movement.”
The product of nearly five years in the development stage, ANSI/NSC-373 Sustainable Production of Natural Dimension Stone establishes well-defined metrics for environmental, economic and social responsibilities, according to Duke Pointer, NSC executive director.
Pointer added the standard was designed to be recognized by drivers of the green-building market as indicators of leadership of sustainability performance.
“The standard was built to assure architects, designers, building owners and the consuming public that the stone that’s brought from next door, around the country or across the world is coming in a manner that minimizes how it affects the environment,” said Pointer.
The standard covers nine facets of a quarry and/or fabrication operation:
- Water usage and recycling;
- Custody and transportation;
- Site and plant management;
- Land reclamation and adaptive use;
- Corporate governance;
- Energy usage and conservation;
- Management of excess process materials and waste;
- Safer chemical and materials management; and
- Human and health considerations. (Innovation is included as a tenth, and optional, element.)
“Each company’s facility is certified on a site-specific basis,” said Pointer. “For instance, if a company has a dozen quarries, it can obtain certification on a site specific basis, one or all 12. The same goes for fabrication plants.”
There are 18 different requirements under the NSC373 standard (with a total of 41 possible points) and four different levels of certification – bronze, silver, gold or platinum. . The more points a company earns on the way to the maximum of 41, the higher the level designation.
“Manage water recycling and energy usage better and earn more points toward a higher designation,” explained Pointer. “Each facility must be recertified every four years.”
Companies will be able to use that certification to differentiate themselves from the competition; if NSF International is used as the third-party certifier, the additional benefit is the appropriate Genuine Stone® seal can be applied to individual blocks, slabs, finished piece, etc. or used in promotional activities.
A supporting standard to NSC373 tracks the Chain of Custody of the stones as the material moves from the quarry through manufacturing , and then through the supply chain to the ultimate destination, including the jobsite or the end user.
“Every step of the way, whoever is handling the product must conform to the standard or the stone loses is certification,” Pointer went on to say. “Stone distributors achieve a Chain of Custody certification when they qualify.”
The NSC expects several major quarriers and fabricators to apply immediately for certification, Bohrer said. The process is expected to take two to four months, and involves on-site inspections by a third-party certifier.
NSF International, which worked with NSC to develop NSC373, is the preferred third-party certifier and will handle the paperwork review and site visits.
“NSC373 was developed using the consensus based ANSI (American National Standards Institute) process, and can be applied internationally, with certification by a third-party certifier like NSF International,” Bohrer said.
For further information, contact the NSC’s Duke Pointer at dukepointer@naturalstonecouncil.org.
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