Norway has a long tradition of using natural stone and access to high-quality stone resources. Nevertheless, large quantities of natural stone are imported for use in Norwegian building and infrastructure projects. SINTEF’s new guide, “Sustainable Natural Stone. A Guide for Public Procurement”, aims to increase knowledge of Norwegian stone types and make it easier to make well-informed material choices.

According to SINTEF, the high level of imports is partly due to limited knowledge of Norwegian stone types, their availability and documentation, as well as how natural stone should be specified in procurement processes.

Greater knowledge of natural stone makes it easier to make well-informed material choices.

Knowledge for better material choices

How natural stone is described and which requirements are set for a project can have a significant impact on which materials are ultimately considered. Overly strict or irrelevant technical requirements can, for example, exclude stone types that would otherwise be well suited to the intended application. The use of specific trade names can also restrict competition and make it more difficult to consider alternative Norwegian materials.

The guide therefore provides practical advice on areas including specifications, tender documentation, technical properties, climate and environmental requirements, and documentation.

Greater knowledge in this area is important to ensure that materials are assessed based on the appropriate properties and their intended use in a project. At the same time, it can support more informed decisions relating to service life, resource efficiency, environmental impact and responsible production.

Developed through LarvikittEN

The guide has been developed as part of the innovation project LarvikittEN – Value-chain collaboration on larvikite for the sustainable production and use of Norwegian natural stone.

The project is a collaboration between Lundhs AS, Strandberg Stein AS, Rocks of Norway AS, Larvikittblokka AS, the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) and SINTEF. Through the project, the partners have worked to identify barriers to the increased and more sustainable use of Norwegian natural stone.

The guide is primarily aimed at public-sector procurers, but is also relevant to anyone involved in the planning, design or delivery of building and infrastructure projects using natural stone.