Projects
Members of the TruStone Initiative collectively carry out projects to map out risks and tackle malpractices.
Stakeholder dialogue Rajasthan
The extraction and processing of sandstone entails many risks. Due to the complex value chain of processing sandstone into cobblestones, a collective approach is needed to address risks.
In 2021, a broad stakeholder dialogue was initiated between sandstone suppliers and local organisations in Rajasthan (India), TruStone companies and Dutch NGO Arisa. Rajasthan is the largest sandstone producing state in India. The purpose of the dialogue is to share challenges and good examples and jointly formulate practical solutions to achieve a responsible and sustainable sandstone sector in Rajasthan.
Read the risk analysis in India
The participants in the dialogue have agreed to cooperate at the level of both the suppliers (factories) that process sandstone mechanically as suppliers deeper in the chain (in the quarries and cobble yards - collection points where hand-cut cobblestones are packed for export) and places where sandstone cobblestones are cut (small workshops and home units).
To further increase the common understanding of the local context, the progress made so far and the challenges the sandstone industry and its workers still face, five TruStone importing companies, NGO Arisa, local NGOs ARAVALI and Manjari and local sandstone suppliers took part in a field trip to Bundi district in Rajasthan in October 2023. Together, they visited several production locations, schools and other community projects and had conversations with workers about working conditions, like wages, safety issues, living conditions for their families. Besides the field trip, the program was filled with trainings on purchasing practices and social dialogue and a dialogue session with all stakeholders that resulted in concrete action points.
The participants were pleased with the outcome of the visit and consider it to be fundamental and fruitful for the continuation of the dialogue. A smaller group (project team) will work on a proposal for the next steps to continuing the collective approach. A starting point of the next phase of the project is to jointly agree on a declaration of intent that outlines clear commitments of the parties involved in the dialogue.
Through this approach, the parties want to contribute to:
- Formalising labour in sandstone quarries. Registering employees as a necessary first step to clarify who actually works in which quarry. With a formal employment contract, quarry workers can claim their rights.
- Reducing child labour and forced labour in quarries and in the production of sandstone cobblestones.
What has been accomplished so far thanks to this stakeholder dialogue?
- Reinforcing and aligning the efforts made by local organisations for stakeholders in high-risk countries.
Many efforts have been made for many years by Indian civil society organizations Manjari Sansthan and Aravali, such as taking children out of workplaces and bringing them to school, training workers about their rights, and helping them register with an e-registration system to claim social security programs of the government of India. They also enter into dialogue with the government in Rajasthan to ensure that drinking water is provided in the region. The multi-stakeholder dialogue ensures that these efforts are strengthened and supported by raising awareness of the issues among sandstone importers and suppliers. The dialogue also ensures good coordination among different actors about who does what. - Increased awareness of risks and strengthened cooperation between importers and suppliers for the benefit of workers.
By making risks part of the discussion during the dialogue, practical solutions emerge. For example, some participating suppliers have started paying their sub-supplier via bank transfers instead of cash. This increases transparency and formalises relationships between companies in the sandstone chain. - More trust and momentum created between suppliers and importers to collaborate in order to tackle the risks in the supply chains.
There has been more openness about where materials come from and how they are processed and there is more willingness to collectively starting a process to increase the capacity of all players in the supply chains around international responsible business conduct.
Participating companies:
- Brachot
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J. Visser Natuursteen, Klinkers & Kasseien
- Maris Natuursteen
- Stone NV
- Tuinmaterialen Meynen
Participating suppliers:
- Arcadia Enterprises
- Arvicon International
- Bundi Silica
- Minestone export
- Poddar stones
- Santoshi Stone
- Stone Factory
Participating organisations:
- Arisa
- ARAVALI
- Manjari Sansthan
Stakeholder dialogue Zimbabwe
The risk analysis for the natural stone sector in Zimbabwe was completed in 2021. For companies that import materials from Zimbabwe it gave better insights into the actual situation. In 2022 TruStone Initiative members are developing a strategy to improve the situation for people involved in the supply chains. That is why we look into which stakeholders in Zimbabwe need to be involved in the dialogue and how these meetings can be set up efficiently between companies (suppliers and importers), the governments and local organisations (trade unions and NGOs).
Read more about: the risk analysis in Zimbabwe.
Social dialogue South India
In 2022, a project was initiated by TruStone companies, labour union FNV , the international union BWI, and granite suppliers in Tamil Nadu, India. Training sessions for workers and managers at production locations and dialogue sessions with suppliers for importers took place that year. Since then, various activities have been developed with the aim of further promoting social dialogue between management and workers at production sites in Southern India. Social dialogue can be an effective way to tackle risks such as low wages, unsafe working conditions and child labour
Consultation round
The training sessions demonstrated that it is crucial to first inform workers in the sector about their rights. Workers at all levels - in quarries and factories - are insufficiently aware of their entitlements, do not know how to access grievance mechanisms, or have no access to them. It is also important for workers and local employers to be well-informed about developments in legislation in Europe on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and consequently the TruStone Initiative.
Therefore, in July 2024, BWI started a consultation round to compile information brochures and training sessions. This consultation round provides various stakeholders in the natural stone sector the opportunity to suggest content for the information material. In September 2024, a hybrid meeting took place in Tamil Nadu to facilitate exchanges between key figures in the sector and to build partnerships to strengthen workers' rights in the sector. TruStone importers and their exporting partners were present during the two-day meeting, as well as local governments, consultants and researchers, local trade union affiliates and sector federations. They discussed how to bridge the trust deficit between the exporters and trade unions; and the need to continue to dialogue; and in this regard, discussions on the joint training module being evolved were useful.
On 10 December 2024, International Human Rights Day, the information brochure and training guide will be launched and presented to stakeholders in the natural stone sector in South India.
Support importing companies in dialogue
Several TruStone companies that import granite from Ballikurava (in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India) are in discussion with local organisations and Arisa to improve the working and living conditions of workers in the quarries.
For several years, Arisa has been working with TruStone member Arte in this area where steel grey granite is mined and processed. In the initial years, the collaboration focused on addressing child labour with an area-based approach (Child Labour Free Zone). More recently, efforts have also been made to improving the working conditions of adult workers in the area. There are no labour rights organisations or unions active in the area. Through the project by Arte and Arisa, a small team has been established that maintains contact with factory and quarry workers, contractors, managers, employer organisations, and government officials on-site.
Thanks to the knowledge and network that this research by Arisa and Arte has provided, other TruStone importers can more easily start their own research and approach to risks. The local organisations and Arisa offer companies support in conducting dialogues with their suppliers in Ballikurava and visiting the quarries.
These various methods of exchanging knowledge and information are crucial for promoting dialogue between stakeholders in Southern India.
Participating organisations:
Arisa
BWI India
FNV
MV Foundation
Paradigm Shift