Responsible production & environmental responsibility

Content:
Responsible production
Certifications
Environmental work

Responsible production

A basic requirement when we started our granite factory in 2019 was that we would build the factory to the highest standards regarding the environment and working conditions.

Granite production is not known worldwide for its environmental thinking and working conditions, and that is something we want to change. When we started our factory, we immediately started working hard to ensure that we are a leader in the field. We are third-party audited by SMETA/Sedex and have ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 26000 and OHSAS 18001 certifications.

We are not aware that any other stone delivered in Sweden meets these requirements, if we are wrong, we urge other importers to report the 3rd party review openly and also guarantee that the stone was produced in the mentioned factory. It happens that factories are claimed to comply with SMETA/Sedex, but no reports are presented. We encourage customers to demand this to ensure that the products have been manufactured ethically and responsibly.

We lead the development of the industry and are very proud of our granite factory. We now own the entire chain from the quarrying of the granite block to the finished product delivered in Sweden directly to the customer in Sweden.

Our certifications:

SMETA - Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit Report
Third-party review of factory production in areas such as safety, working environment, health and business ethics.

SMETA - Corrective Action Plan Report
Planned actions and work areas in agreement with the third party review. Stenbolaget works to be transparent and clear in its actions.

KMA - Quality, environmental and work environment policy
This document describes Stenbolaget's overall quality policy and how we as a company work with environmental and work environment issues.

Code of Conduct - Ethical rules
With purchasing and trading in several different countries from both Europe and Asia, it is important for Stenbolaget to have a common set of ethical rules.

ISO 26000:2013
For Stenbolaget, social responsibility is a high priority with good working conditions in a modern business. Active work with local and international guidelines, community involvement and social responsibility are among other things that ISO 26000 demonstrates.

ISO 14001:2015
The standard establishes an environmental responsibility and a systematic work with the minimization of emissions and waste.

ISO 9001:2015
Certificate for the organization's management system that demonstrates a good standard. ISO 9001 contributes to more efficient operations and business development, both for customers and employees.

OHSAS 18001:2007
The working environment and safety at the workplace always come first. Ohsas 18001 proves the preventive work around work environment risks that Stenbolaget constantly works with.

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Stenbolaget and Environment

We at Stenbolaget work actively for a sustainable environment! Here is a link to our KMA Policy.

Concrete

• Concrete has a large environmental impact and today accounts for approx. 8% of the world's CO ₂ emissions.
• The manufacturers work actively to make concrete more environmentally friendly through recycling and new concrete recipes

Granite

• Granite is a natural material, the environmental impact occurs in the processing, which requires a lot of energy. All our branded granite is produced in our own factory where 100% of all our machines are electric and powered 100% by electricity from solar power and wind power.
• In granite production, a lot of water is needed and we recycle all water in a closed system.
• Granite is a durable material with a lifespan of many 100 years.
• Freight is 70% shorter than from China and takes place by container ship, which means that the environmental impact is reduced by 70%
• Significantly shorter average delivery to the end customer from our warehouse centers compared to Swedish natural stone that is shipped from 1 production site, which in many cases is in Poland or Portugal. More than 50% of the production of Swedish natural stone takes place outside Sweden's borders.
• Through our new logistics centers in Ulricehamn and Märsta, we expect to reduce the average transport distance to the customer by 30% in 2021.

We ship all goods to Sweden on container boats, which today are the most environmentally friendly means of transport. Container ships have an average CO ₂ emission of approx. 8gCO ₂ /ton-km compared to truck transport which has approx. 62gCO ₂ /ton-km.

In order to minimize the environmental impact, we now ship containers directly to our 7 sales points, this means that environmentally impactful truck transport is reduced. We also distribute from the respective main warehouse directly to the end customer to shorten truck transports.

It is important to look at the total environmental impact when you compare Swedish natural stone with imported stone. The majority of transport within the country takes place by truck. This means that container imports (from Turkey and Portugal) that take place to the nearest warehouse port are comparable to Swedish stone that is transported on roads with an average delivery distance of 50 miles compared to the 8 miles that Stenbolaget has as an average delivery distance.

In our opinion, granite is the most environmentally friendly material for flooring, walls and cladding. The biggest impact on the environment is the sawing of the stone and the logistics chain. Our production is now 100% sustainable with electricity from the sun and wind power.

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