It is an indication of how seriously suppliers to the construction industry are taking the call for ecologically sound products that the number of exhibitors at the Ecobuild exhibition in Earls Court, London, this month (3-5 March) was up again, at around 800, in spite of the economy.

And a new feature at the show this time was a Stone Zone under the banner of Stone Federation Great Britain.

Two of the eight exhibitors in the Zone were Stone Federation members. One of the others, R2 Paving Solutions, were not selling stone but concrete paving. They were, however, making the most impressive ecological claim. They stated that their paving, imported from Germany, is Carbon neutral. R2 Director Richard Featley explained to NSS that the claim was justified because the manufacturers trade carbon credits, even cancelling out the effects of transport.

Outside of the Stone Zone were a few other stone companies, including Forest Pennant, who plan to generate their own electricity by building a hydro-electric plant at their works in the Forest of Dean. Marshalls, Johnsons Wellfied and CED also had stands outside of the Zone.

EcoBuild started life in 2004 as a small ‘green building’ conference in London’s Brick Lane. The first EcoBuild show proper took place in June 2005 at the QEII Conference Centre and in 2006 it moved to Earls Court.