Corporate Responsibility in the Natural Stone Sector

In the global value chain of natural stone products such as pavement, grave stones and kitchen tops, many sustainability issues prevail. The last decade has seen a rise of collective private sector voluntary initiatives which attempt to improve labour and environmental conditions in natural stone quarries and processing factories in emerging economies. This research analyses the effectiveness of five West-European CSR initiatives in achieving sustainability in natural stone suppliers. Based on the results, in order to increase the initiatives' rather low levels of effectiveness, recommended is to increase transparency and include local suppliers' and workers' voice more. However, for achieving change in a less-visible global supply chain like the natural stone sector, executing the European sustainable procurement policy is more powerful than the efforts of voluntary CSR initiatives.

Autorentext

Jennifer has an MSc degree in Sustainable International Development from Utrecht University. She conducted another research for this degree on climate adaptation strategies of small-scale farmers in Cambodia. She is intrinsically motivated to contribute to a more sustainable world through her work. This book is the first step in that mission.