A UK based manufacturer along with its Indian supplier has gained membership to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)

Marshalls, a UK based manufacturer of landscaping products, has gained membership to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).

The company has operations in some of the poorest parts of India, where it mines Indian Sandstone for the UK domestic paving market.

Along with its sole supplier Stoneshippers India, Marshalls went through independent audits and improvements to gain membership of the ETI. The ETI Base Code includes provisions for safe and healthy working conditions and against child labour.

Marshalls said that it is the first UK hard landscaping firm to become an ETI member

The landscaping firms said it also invests in Indian NGO Hadoti Hast Shilp Sansthan, which provides insurance to migrant labourers and their families. Marshals said that since February it has enabled Hadoti to provide insurance to over 200 workers.

In a release the company said: “The good corporate citizen knows that there is a moral obligation to be socially responsible. It is also apparent that for the future of a business in an emerging market like India, being a good corporate citizen is also worth the investment. Marshalls are helping transform lives and entire communities for the better. At the same time they are forming lasting and meaningful relationships with the people that live amongst a commodity whose demand is set to rise an rise. Even firms from outside the hard landscaping industry might have something to learn from Marshalls on how to behave abroad.”