Cosentino improves standards in the natural stone industry
Cosentino Group, Spanish global leader in the production and distribution of innovative surfaces in the world of architecture and design, is pleased to announce that in 2018 the industrial complex of Cosentino Latina, located in Vitória (Brazil), has been working with TFT to ensure their operations are in line with Level 1 of the TFT respect guidelines for extractive sites. TFT (The forest Trust) is a non-profit organisation that helps companies in the private sector transform their supply chains for the benefit of people and nature.
For the Cosentino Group, a key priority is to ensure the raw materials used in its products are extracted according to the most rigorous quality standards while respecting human rights and the environment. With this objective in mind, in 2016, Cosentino launched its project ‘Natural Stone Commitment by Cosentino’, which promotes the extraction and manufacturing of natural stone while conserving the environment and improving living standards for those who works in quarries and natural stone plants. Since that very moment, the Cosentino Group, together with the TFT, has visited the Cosentino processing unit of Latina Vitória (Brazil), some of the largest quarries Cosentino is working with in Brazil and the processing plant of Rainbow Stone (India) to ensure the objectives of the ‘Natural Stone Commitment by Cosentino’ are met.
The primary objective of the ‘Natural Stone Commitment by Cosentino’ project is to work over time with our supply chain to encourage the human and labour rights standards to be respected and improved. This includes:
- No child labour is used
- There is no forced labour or bonded labour
- Ethical criteria are included in all hiring practices
- Workers’ health and safety is protected
- All workers receive an employment contract
- Wages adhere to national regulations and meet the inter-professional minimum wage
- Working hours are not excessive and meet the legal requirements
- Diversity within the workforce is respected
- Zero tolerance of harassment and abuse
- All workers have access to legal support
- Any accommodation provided for workers is safe and sanitary
- The principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining are upheld
Thanks to the ‘Natural Stone Commitment by Cosentino’ project, in 2018 Cosentino Latina Vitória, Cosentino’s industrial complex in Brazil, has demonstrated their own operations are in line with Level 1 of the TFT guidelines for extractive sites. Cosentino Latina Vitória is the specialist plant which creates Sensa by Cosentino®, the range of granites and quartzites with special anti-stain protection. With facilities covering 65,000 m2, home to cutting edge technology, equipment and environmental processes for the natural stone sector, Cosentino Latina Vitoria has a daily production capacity of more than 2,500 m2 of Sensa by Cosentino® slabs and is currently the leading natural stone exporter in the whole of Brazil.
In 2018, and thanks to the support of the Cosentino Group, the Indian natural stone supplier, Rainbow Stone Ltd, has also demonstrated their own operation are in line with Level 1 of the TFT guidelines for extractives sites. Last month, Siva Reddy and Tomas Alonso, CEO and Sales Director of Rainbow Stone Ltd, respectively, visited the Cosentino headquarters in Cantoria, Almeria. They were welcomed by Santiago Alfonso Vice President of Communications and Marketing; Valentín Tijeras, Vice President of Innovation and Products; José Simón, Purchasing Director of Natural Stone; and Manuela Marín, Product Manager for Sensa by Cosentino®.
