Oberlin, Ohio—A new version of the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard (ANSI/NSI 373 Sustainable Production of Natural Dimension Stone) has been published. The new version reflects the standard’s name change and makes the requirement for community approval of quarry reclamation plans optional, according to NSF International, an independent, global organization that facilitates the development of standards and tests and certifies products for the food, water, health sciences and consumer goods industries.
The Natural Stone Sustainability Standard is a continuous improvement standard, which means that updates are required at least every five years to maintain relevance in an ever-changing sustainability market. Initially published in 2014, the standard has had updates in 2017, 2019 and now 2022, proving a commitment to staying up to date with the latest needs of design teams with green building goals, according to Natural Stone Institute (NSI).
“Our team at NSF International looks forward to the growth and continued partnership with the Natural Stone Institute in support of the implementation of the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard,” said Suzan Somo, environmental products business lead at NSF. “As the building industry continues to value sustainable products and practices, this standard provides essential opportunities to quarry operators and stone fabricators to assess their internal practices, drive efficiencies and attain preferred status in their markets.”
Brittany Storm, chair of the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard joint committee, added: “Working closely with the ANSI/NSI 373 Natural Dimension Stone Joint Committee, we are navigating a path through the ever-changing tides of sustainability using the standard as our guide. More than just a way to comply with requirements, we hope updates to the standard continue to give quarriers, producers and distributors a roadmap to have greener processes/procedures.”
Companies ready to certify to the standard and design teams interested in learning more about the metrics of the standard and how to source sustainably produced natural stone for their projects are encouraged to visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/sustainability.