Stone quarried in Cumbria is experiencing rising demand owing to its environmental and sustainability attributes.

This is according to Richard Page, managing director of Burlington Stone, based in Kirkby-in-Furness.

Leading eight quarries across Cumbria, Mr Page believes that the products offered by the company rank amongst the most sustainable materials available in the building and landscaping market.

He vocalised his views during a panel discussion on localisation and sustainability at FutureScape, the premier UK landscaping industry event, held recently at London ExCeL.

Post discussion, Mr Page said: "Sustainability is at the very core of Burlington.

"If you look at our roofing slates, they will last for more than 100 years.

“The beautiful diminishing course roof so characteristic of the Lake District, with large slates at the bottom of the roof becoming progressively smaller towards the ridge line, is also an early form of sustainability.

"It doesn’t just look good, it makes use of every possible piece of slate."

After analysing contracts that the company had missed out on, they found that in many cases, the customers had sourced second-hand Burlington slates that were "quarried 60, 70 or 80 years ago."

Mr Page said: "They were in such good condition they could be re-used.

"That’s not really a loss, it was quarried by previous generations of Burlington workers, it is genuine sustainability."

Mr Page suggested that stone products, unlike their cement or concrete counterparts, possess a significantly smaller carbon footprint.

Burlington has also integrated solar panels and process improvements to drive waste and energy reduction, ultimately leading to a further decrease in its CO2 emissions.

Mr Page said: “We have a principle within Burlington that we want to use every tonne of stone we extract so there is no waste.”

The discussion, named ‘The Benefits of Buying Local’, was hosted by Made in Britain, the not-for-profit entity that supports British manufacturers.

"Buying local means the consumer gets a high-quality, bespoke product and it brings trickle-down benefits to local communities, which you don’t get if you bring in goods from Brazil, India or China," said Mr Page.

“We have a high-quality, highly-skilled workforce and we invest heavily in NVQs and vocational training.”

Burlington Stone has been in operation since 1843, with stone having been quarried at Kirkby-in-Furness for more than 400 years.