The Natural Stone Counc il’s
Development of ANSI/NSC-373
WORDS: KATHY SPANIER,
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING,
The Natural
Stone Council
is a collaboration
of business
and trade associations
that have
joined forces to
promote natural
stone in residential,
commercial,
government,
institutional,
and educational
applications. Its
sustainability standard,
known as the
ANSI/NSC 373 Natural
Dimension Stone Standard,
puts criteria into place for the industry
to tell its story in a credible way,
verified by a third party, how best practices and
optimal use of our resources are used in the
extraction and processing of natural stone.
While the sustainability of natural stone as a
building material remains unquestioned with
regard to its longevity, beauty and durability this
new standard expands the meaning. How
the stone is quarried, processed, and
transported is now incorporated
54 | Masonry Design
into the
definition.
Developed by the
Natural Stone Council
in conjunction
with NSF International,
the National
Center for Sustainability
Standards,
using ANSI guidelines
the standard
sets forth a series
of well-defined
environmental,
ecological, social
responsibility and
human health requirements
for stone quarries
and fabricators.
Sustainability is at the top of
people’s minds within the construction
industry, especially the design community where
they are using green program guideline (e.g.,
LEED, LBC) to create high performing structures.
This standard aims to reassure everyone from
designers to owners to material manufacturers,
all the way to the end user of the project that the
material they are using has been sustainably
sourced. For architects and owners, this standard
confirms that their building’s stone is produced in
a way that is both environmentally and socially
responsible.
In 2014, the Natural Stone Council established
the sustainable stone certification with several
objectives. One is to recognize and drive
sustainability practices in the natural stone
industry with an emphasis on continuous
improvement. Another is the development of a
multi-stakeholder, science-based approach that
COLDSPRING
PHOTOS: COLDSPRING,
DC REAL ESTATE PHOTO,
NATURAL STONE COUNCIL,
MASONRY MAGAZINE