A new standard has been produced by BSI, the Carbon Trust and Defra in an attempt to create a standard way of measuring the environmental impact of different materials through their life cycle.

The standard is called PAS 2050. PAS stands for Publically Available Standard. It was launched last month (October).

It might help a new Sustainability Working Group that has been set up by Stone Federation GB to establish stone’s green credentials.

The new Group, which will hold its first meeting early in the new year, will be chaired by David Richardson, who handed on his chain of office as President of Stone Federation at the Federation’s AGM on 20 November (after we had gone to press).

He said when he was elected two years ago that the greening of stone would be a priority of his presidency.

The Federation’s Quarries Forum has this year been seeking to put some figures on just how green stone is, following some disappointment at stone’s performance in the BRE’s Green Guide that has been blamed on a misreading of waste and water use from dimensional stone production.

The quote below from Michael Poultney, deputy chairman of the Forum and Managing Director of Portland quarry company Albion Stone, shows how frustrating the attempt can be when companies making concrete products make claims about their products being greener than stone.

Stone Federation has been working with the Carbon Trust and Envirowise, a government-supported environmental consultation and advice service for UK businesses.

The Federation’s Chief Executive, Jane Buxey, says the economy may have overshadowed green issues for now, “but it’s not going to go away”.

Stone Federation and some of their members will be furthering the ‘green stone’ message in a ‘Stone Zone’ at the Ecobuild exhibition in Earls Court in March.

“I feel we have been farting around long enough with all this Green Guide and Carbon Trust crap. Stone is the earth itself simply cut, how the hell can other products be more environmentally friendly than that?” Michael Poultney.