Marshalls PLC joins the Landscape Juice Network

It goes to show how far the Landscape Juice Network has travelled in its short existence.

Marshalls, one of the UK's largest hard landscape manufacturer and suppliers - and who have often been the focus of my attentions and, let's be honest, criticisms - have had the balls to come into their customers territory and joined the Landscape Juice Network...and I am sure its not just for the link to their website!

I had occasion to speak to group marketing director Chris Harrop yesterday on copyright issues - some Marshalls material had been uploaded to LJN that wasn't attributed to Marshalls.

Rather than throwing Marshalls corporate weight around we found ourselves having a conversation about carbon footprint, the ethical sourcing of Indian sandstone and certain aspects of the landscaping trades that have - until Landscape Juice that is - gone unchallenged for so long.

Now, Marshalls consumers and partners have an opportunity to participate in open debate on issues that impact on ethical landscaping and world environment caused by large scale manufacturing and distribution.

Comments

[John Walker]

I think Marshalls have some serious questions to answer with regard to key components of their business, and I'm certainly looking forward to a discussion centred on their 'ethically sourced' Indian sandstone/carbon footprint. Ever since they launched Indian sandstone with its 'ethical wrapper', I've had an increasingly uneasy feeling about it.

Sandstone is heavy stuff, and it burns fuel to get it here. India's quite a long way from the UK. Ethical sourcing or not, surely there's something that's fundamentally wrong about UK gardeners driving the destruction of natural habitats in far-off lands (not that that sandstone is the only culprit), and pumping out greenhouse gases to actually get it here?

Importing paving stone from half way round the planet is surely completely against the current trend for localisation?

Wouldn't it be more honest and more ethically sound to supply demand for garden stone from within our own national resources - or are we too worried about trashing our own environment?

And if we aren't prepared to do that, shouldn't we be looking at recycling much more material into 'paving' and by doing so, gardening within our ecological means?

What's wrong with educating gardeners that raw, natural stone, unless it's already been used and is being recycled, not quarried fresh, is off the gardening menu?

[Philip Voice]

I hope Marshalls will be contribute on the site and answer your questions John.

I also hope other large organisations will join up and participate in discussions on a variety of subjects.

To use that cliché...watch this space!

[Gerald Monk]

'Workers should be able to join and form trade unions'
A an admirable comment by Mr Harrop regarding his Company's activities in India, but do all areas of Marshalls plc in the UK have Union recognition??