Social Responsibility & Environment

LOW EMBEDDED CARBON / LOW ENERGY

Liquidstone products are manufactured locally here at our purpose built factory in Swanson, Auckland using raw materials and aggregates largely sourced from within New Zealand. Not all raw materials are available ex NZ and so where necessary we look to minimise or replace where possible
Our products can be specified with up to 30% Fly Ash as a cement replacement and can even use recycled ex-demolition concrete waste in lieu of quarried aggregate. By using high strength formula’s where possible we eliminate any requirement for steel reinforcement
GRC neither uses nor emits volatiles (VOC's)
Our factory is fitted out with bespoke water recycling and treatment plant. This enables us to reuse up to 80% of the water from our manufacturing process over and over again and minimises the amount of fresh water required for manufacture. It also ensures that any slurry from the finishing process does not enter into local streams and waterways.
Our manufacturing facility has been designed in accordance with LEAN principles (the highly successful Toyota production philosophy) which promotes the elimination of waste in all its forms

GRC & The Environment - GRC as An environmentally friendly product

The main constituents of GRC are based on naturally occurring earth oxides which are not generally considered pollutants. Wash water used in the manufacturing process contains activated cement slurry which is alkaline and our factory is fitted out with settlement tanks so that the solids are not put into the drainage system.

The reduced weight of GRC compared to standard reinforced concrete products does provide environmental benefits. Independant testing showed that GRC has lower environmental impact over standard precast concrete construction when the overall reduced cement usage per product and reduced transport costs were taken into account.

PRODUCT DURABILITY - Future generations

All of our products are made to last at least the life of the building structure and even after many years and even decades they can be re-finished to once again look like new.
Our products tend to have excellent thermal mass eg in the summer they provide a cool surface and in the winter they can retain the heat from the sun and help to warm during the day.
Our products have comparatively low maintenance costs requiring no chemical cleaners or waxes e.g. routine maintenance includes dry and damp mopping using a PH Neutral cleaner, with an occasional mechanical buff.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We aim to be a good neighbour and treat our community and all of our employees with respect.
We employ local and have high staff retention
We pay a Living wage as a minimum
We offer planned training and development opportunities as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.

About us images

LIVING WAGE

We strive to pay our staff a minimum living wage which is over and above the minimum wage and better reflects the true costs associated with living.
We pay our staff for the skills they have and reflect this with increases the more skilled they become.
We offer on the job up-skilling and training.
We believe in up-skilling our current work force and ensuring they work on the areas in the business which best suit their ability.

Liquidstone Accreditation & Partnerships

LEAN MANUFACTURING

At Liquidstone our subscribe to the LEAN manufacturing philosophy i.e. to eliminate waste in all its forms and to create quality product, delivered in full, on time and to specification.