Natural stone

The extraction of natural stones such as sandstone, granite and marble is often associated with poor working conditions and violations of workers’ and human rights in South Asia. In quarries in India, child labour occurs, and workers are paid very low wages, are subject to debt bondage, and work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions.  

Arisa highlights these major problems and puts them on the agenda of companies and the Dutch and other European governments, for example by publishing our research on natural stone quarries.     

Many importers of Indian natural stone have no idea about the quarries from which they source their material, let alone what the working conditions are in those quarries. Even governments, such as municipalities in the Netherlands and other European countries, that buy natural stone for public spaces are often unaware of the working conditions under which the stone was quarried.  

Thanks to the work of Arisa, some importers, buyers and municipalities involved in the TruStone Initiative are now aware of the problems that prevail in their natural stone supply chain.     

The TruStone Initiative is a sector-wide collaboration focused on improving working conditions. The initiative identifies risks, engages with suppliers in producing countries and formulates plans to improve working conditions. As part of the initiative, Arisa is a source of information and a facilitator of contacts between civil society organisations and trade unions in producer countries and Dutch and Flemish importers and municipal governments.