Carbon Footprint has accredited London Stone as a carbon-neutral company.

Back in 2021, the business, which claims it is the first UK hard landscaping supplier to achieve carbon-neutral status, began working with Carbon Footprint to “identify areas for improvement, which were then rectified, and resulted in the company running as sustainably as possible”.

London Stone managing director Steven Walley said, “The thought of leaving the planet in a worse shape than when we inherited it, with fewer sanctuaries and less habitat for wildlife, is unthinkable. We have a duty to slow and ultimately reverse the environmental destruction that humans have inflicted so that future generations can enjoy the natural world as much as we have. The biggest threat right now is carbon emissions, so that’s why reducing our carbon footprint is our number one priority.”

According to London Stone, Carbon Footprint’s audit also highlighted areas where some carbon emissions are unavoidable, such as sea freight and haulage. “These emissions cannot be eradicated, so they are balanced out through investment in carbon offsetting projects, making all London Stone products and materials carbon neutral,” said the supplier.

London Stone is said to be supporting multiple carbon offsetting projects in India, where much of their natural stone is sourced, to complement their existing corporate social responsibility programmes.

The company has committed to a year-on-year reduction in its carbon footprint and is “using offsetting as a tool whilst waiting for technological advancement, and government infrastructure support”, which it hopes will eventually further enable emission reductions in the aforementioned areas.

Walley added, “We’d be failing though if carbon neutral commitment was just about us. Feedback from our customers tells us that we’re not alone in wanting to tread more lightly on our planet. They, too, want to commit to tackling our climate crisis but often don’t know how or where to start. We will help with this. We will be releasing information on how we can help raise environmental standards for landscapers, designers and other suppliers across the industry and will publish a series of blogs that explain our carbon-neutral journey.”

London Stone said it will be working with several industry peers, personalities and organisations to help encourage more carbon-reducing practices, with Landform Consultant’s Mark Gregory named as the supplier’s first ‘Green Ambassador’.

Gregory said: “I am incredibly proud to support London Stone in their carbon-neutral journey. We all need to pay closer attention to the way we treat our planet. As someone who has committed their life to working with, renovating, regenerating, and improving exterior spaces, it is fantastic to know that, for the first time, there is a hard landscaping supplier that is committed to helping minimise the impact that we have on our world. The landscaping industry must act as a guardian to our exterior spaces, there is much that can be done, and with London Stone taking the lead, I only hope many others will follow.”