The united voice of the
natural stone industry.

The Natural Stone Council formed in 2003 to unify the industry in promoting the value and use of Genuine Stone® in all building applications. The NSC promotes all types of Genuine Stone equally.

Trade associations affiliated with the NSC include: Allied Stone Industries, Building Stone Institute, Elberton Granite Association, Indiana Limestone Institute, Marble Institute of America, National Building Granite Quarries Association, National Slate Association, and Natural Stone Alliance.

Green Building
In order to properly define Genuine Stone’s environmental impact, the NSC has created a Sustainability Committee (made up of NSC board members and others from the industry). The Sustainability Committee has enlisted the support of an external advisory committee comprised of respected architects knowledgeable about green building to provide guidance for their effort. They have also partnered with the University of Tennessee’s Center for Clean Products to collect data and develop comparative information on the environmental impacts and benefits of building with Genuine Stone. Through this effort the NSC intends to establish stone and stone products as an environmentally responsible choice for designers, installers and building owners alike.

Branding
Because many engineered stone manufacturers market synthetic stone as “natural,” the industry needed a word to describe stone that is not man-made, but completely natural. So the NSC trademarked Genuine Stone®, creating that singular distinction. Donations to the NSC support a national branding effort. This comprehensive multimedia campaign positions Genuine Stone as a truly one-of-a-kind material that uniquely enhances any building or landscaping project.

Fundraising
As you might imagine, all of this progress has a price tag. In the short-term, the NSC relies on major investments from stone industry associations as well as generous donations from individual companies. In the long-term, the NSC plans to implement an industry-wide check-off program similar to the milk (Got milk?) and beef (It’s what’s for dinner.) industries’—allowing the genuine stone industry to raise resources to increase its position in the marketplace.