Herringbone Becomes The First UK Kitchen Company To Ban The Sale Of High-Silica Quartz

Our ethos has always been so important to how we run our family business. We recently read an article in a newspaper about the banning of high-silica engineered stone worktops in Australia and began to research the effects of high-silica engineered worktop (mainly quartz). This has led us to look at the risks using this product in the UK, we’ve spoken to our stonemasons and to researchers within the field. Silica is naturally occurring in stone such as granite and marble at between 5-40%, however, in engineered quartz it can be as high as 97%.
 
Following these discussions we made the decision that we will be the first company in the UK that we know of to phase out selling high-silica engineered stone. This stone is currently one of the dominate products in the market in the UK. While there are no risks to clients once this product is installed or to installers of this material on-site, the risk of silicosis comes when it is produced and cut by stonemasons and dust is created.  While our stonemasons assure us this is done safely in their workshop, these risks are just not necessary when there are alternatives on the market.
 
Our priority is to keep our staff, suppliers, and clients safe and so we will no longer be offering high-silica quartz engineered worktops to new clients. If you currently have this product, please be assured that there are no reported risks with this quartz once cut and installed in your home.
 
We apologise that this is quite a big change for us in a short period of time for some clients. We are the first company in the UK that we know of to ban the sale of high-silica engineered stone, but we hope that more companies follow suit in the coming months. We hope you can understand why we made this decision and can stand behind us in working to keep the industry safe and accountable.
 
We thank you for your patience and understanding while we stay true to our ethos by taking action.

As featured in: Kitchen Review, The Construction Index, English Living, PBC Today & Construction.