We have been honoured for
our high ethical standards - as the brick industry fights back against the
widespread use of child labour and slavery in South East Asia. It has just been
announced that we have been awarded the brand-new Brickmakers Quality Charter
to underline its moral standards and green credentials. The award comes from
the
Brick Development Association, the trade association for the UK’s brick
industry.
This accolade means a great
deal to us. We take huge pride, both in our environmentally friendly brick-making
process and in the way we treat our loyal and hard-working staff. Sadly this
approach is not shared by some of our competitors. This is why the Brick
Development Association has launched the pioneering Brickmakers Quality Charter
scheme, which provides a Brick Certificate to reassure our customers that our bricks
are made to the highest ethical standards.
The aim is to combat the
threat of customers unwittingly buying cheap and unethically produced imported
bricks, made to lower standards, but passing themselves off as made to the same
standards with nothing but slick marketing for certification. This is
unacceptable on a number of levels, the worst being the use of bonded and child
labour to make these bricks. This is exploitation on a terrible scale and is a
stain on our industry. The excellent
Brickmakers Quality Charter scheme is the
first, and very significant, step in trying to stamp this out.”
Keith Aldis, the chief
executive of the Brick Development Association, told us: “For a small family
run firm like York Handmade Brick to achieve the charter is no mean feat. They have consistently been green, economic
and viable, not to mention more than capable of producing clay brick of the
highest quality. All credit goes to York
Handmade”.
He continued: “Through our everyday monitoring of brick
statistics and UK market throughput, we have noticed and have evidenced through
work with our partners, at University College London and others, a significant
increase in the importation of clay bricks from outside of the EU into the UK.
There is a large defined area across Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh as
well as Sub-Saharan Africa and the Far East, which is causing concern where
bricks are manufactured seasonally, in large numbers, and more often than not
using bonded or child labour.
“Those individuals making
these bricks, work under extreme conditions with little or no regard to health
and safety, poor sanitation, often with little or no pay. This is unacceptable
in today’s business world. We would always ask everyone to check the provenance
of the bricks they buy, supply or use but this can prove complicated, with some
manufacturers and re-sellers sometimes deliberately hiding the source of their
clay bricks or evading simple questions as to the provenance and production
methods used in the manufacture of the clay bricks they sell. It is our view
that some suppliers are simply re-branding poor quality bricks with heart-warming
British-sounding names, in order to associate themselves with the good
reputation of UK clay brick and the potentially lucrative UK clay brick market.
“The cost of transporting
these bricks, often halfway around the world, is offset by the use of cheap and
often unpaid bonded labour. And of course, transporting bricks halfway around
the world also has a significant negative impact on use of carbon which is
ultimately affecting climate change.
“A buyer always needs to
ask a supplier or manufacturer where the bricks are made and if anyone is ever
in doubt, simply ask if you can visit the factory. Any reputable manufacturer
would be delighted to host you and show you around. If the clay brick or paver
is manufactured in the UK (or in the EU), then you can be certain that it is
manufactured to correct standards and to a suitable consistent quality. Our new
Brickmakers Quality Charter makes this process of checking so much easier,”
Keith added.