TFT’s Responsible Stone Programme (RSP) members Beltrami, Stoneasy, Everfine, Aggregate Industries and Dekker Natuursteen (NL) have worked with TFT to support three stone factories, (two in China and one in India), and a quarry in China to achieve RSP level one.

The sites are:

• Yong Feng factory in Tai Yan City, Shandong Province, China
• Hong feng factory in Fuding City, Fujian Province, China
• Shree in Rajasthan, India
• Yong Feng – Gao Jia Zhuang quarry, Shandong Province, China

Achieving RSP level one means that these sites now have new measures in place to improve worksite standards. These measures include the introduction of:

• Health and safety training
• First aid training
• Safely installed electrical wiring
• Sufficient safety measures on machinery
• Separate and hygienic toilet facilities for men and women
• Assessing the need for personal, protective equipment and ensuring it is in place and used
• Maintaining records of payroll, sub-contractor payments, wage notification, age records of workers.
• Child labour policy that states minimum worker age
• Employment policy that covers workers’ rights

TFT Stone Project Manager Katie Kenrick believes the implementation of these measures means that working conditions at these sites have improved. “The sites are in a better position to make further progress against the RSP code, improving the lives of people working there,” said Katie. “These are the core aims of the RSP. Members of the RSP work towards implementing such standards at all of their sites.”

The scope of the RSP goes beyond identifying problems. “The majority of the work undertaken by the teams in India and China encourages sites to find solutions to identified issues,” said TFT Director Hilary Thompson. “A big part of this work is out in the field, helping these sites to build their capacity so they have the resources to change.”

Of course there is still a huge amount of work to do in order to affect wider change across the stone industry, but the progress Beltrami, Stoneasy, Everfine, Aggregate Industries, and Dekker Natuursteen (NL) have made in building capacity into their supply chains is significant. It demonstrates that sites can move from A to B if they are properly supported to do so out in the field. There are many challenges still facing the stone industry, but the RSP hopes and aims to continue to address that via the work it is doing.