The Ethical Stone Company

When we established The Ethical Stone Company in 2012, at our core was the desire to bring innovative architectural products to market whilst avoiding quarrying and manufacturing activities which might harm people and the environment. The construction industry and the geopolitical landscape is changing. With delays at the ports, haulage costs at record highs, and embodied carbon being imported into the UK in the millions of tonnes; something has to change. We realised that the solution needed to be homegrown. Here in the UK, we’re excellent at making aggregates – gravel or stone chippings. If you wash and polish these aggregates, they transform into beautiful lustrous stones, rich in colour and character. So the idea for an exclusively UK-sourced aggregate terrazzo was born and we took our concept to the only terrazzo manufacturer in the country, which happens to be in Manchester where Ethical Stone Terrazzo was created – a 100% British Stone, British made, low carbon solid surface that makes a vital contribution to the architectural products landscape, helping architects, specifiers and the UK meet our collective Net-Zero commitments.

By reusing materials from buildings designated for demolition or upgrade, not only can an enormous amount of CO2 waste be prevented, but the story and character of the old building can be brought into the new. The character of Ethical Stone Terrazzo is created by the natural stone chippings that we source from the four corners of the British Isles. From the highlands of Scotland to the moors of Devon, the dales of Derbyshire to the valleys of Wales, the story of the British Landscape is told through our terrazzo.

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the most used construction material in the world. Its versatility is well known, but as the world’s third highest source of man-made CO2, something has to change. This is where our ultra-low carbon cement binder comes in. We use an alternative to traditional OPC cement and add this to our terrazzo binder. By utilising a by-product of the steel industry to make next-generation Alkali-Activated Cementitious Material (AACM) we have reduced our reliance on OPC by up to 50%!100% British Stone.

We’ve signed up to the Better Business Act campaign. The current business act of 2006 only requires businesses to report on financials and be accountable to shareholders. But a small change in the law will ensure that every single company in the UK, whether big or small, takes ownership of its social and environmental impact. Profit has no value if it strips the health of our environment – we can never truly call ourselves an ‘advanced’ economy until we consider the future of our planet and people in our business decision making.