Trip to Jaipur & Kota 19th Feb - 21st Feb 2007

Chris Harrop’s Trip to Jaipur & Kota

This blog records my recent visit to India to further investigate the issues surrounding the production and subsequent importing of Indian Natural Sandstone in to the UK.

My visits to India are a key part of the “Marshalls for Sustainable Landscapes” programme that I am championing, the heart of which is a very simple but effective definition of Sustainability:

• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone.
• Effective protection of the Environment.
• Maintenance of stable levels of Economic growth

Only when there is a balance of these three areas can a company’s activities be called sustainable. Enough of the soap box, and on with this trip. The trip had four key objectives;

1. To visit different areas of the region to assess the issues. This trip I have extended the area covered into the neighbouring district of Bhilwara.

2. Spot checks at a different set of Stoneshippers India sites, the process, the practices, and on the ground activities. The more we visit the sites the more the staff there will see that we believe in these activities – supporting the Factory managers in making the cultural changes is really important.

3. To meet with the Acting Principle of the School in the quarrying village of Garrda that Marshalls and Stoneshippers India are starting to help.

4. To add to my understanding of the extent of the environmental impact of the quarrying activities. At present there are no remediation activities carried out in any of the quarries. The main issue is not the filling in of the used quarry pits with spoil but how to make the land productive once this is done – top soil, fertile top soil is at a premium.

Whenever I visit the quarrying areas in India, I am struck by the huge scale of the social and environmental issues. The work that we have begun with Stoneshippers India is just scratching the surface but unless someone starts then nothing will every change.

If we can show that by doing business in an ethically and environmentally responsible manner and still meet the economic objectives our shareholders require, then the case for change will become undeniable.

Also we must always remember that exports account for just 5% of the total production and that the UK represents 1% of production.

More > 20th February 2007