COLD SPRING, MN -- Coldspring, a quarrier and fabricator of natural stone in North America, has received ANSI/NSC 373 Sustainable Production of Natural Dimension Stone certification. Coldspring is at the forefront of the stone industry's certification movement and is one of only two companies in the U.S. to achieve the recognition thus far.

Accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the rigorous and voluntary standard establishes criteria to determine the degree to which natural dimension stone is extracted and manufactured sustainably.

Following facility inspections by NSF International's sustainability division, which develops standards and conducts audits to protect the environment, Coldspring's corporate headquarters and primary manufacturing operations in Cold Spring, MN, received gold certification, while the Charcoal quarry (St. Cloud, MN), Mesabi quarry (Babbitt, MN), and Rockville quarry (Rockville, MN), received platinum certification.

"We are extremely proud of our team and the efforts toward obtaining ANSI/NSC 373 certification," said John Mattke, Coldspring president and COO. "Coldspring has had a longtime commitment to sustainability and continues to show this commitment by achieving third-party verification through the stone industry's newly adopted standard."

The ANSI/NSC 373 standard examines numerous areas of stone production, such as: water usage and recycling, custody and transportation of the stone, site and plant management, land reclamation and adaptive use, corporate governance, energy usage and conservation, management of excess process materials and waste, safer chemical and materials management, worker health and safety and optional innovation credits. Certification is based on point totals in each category to achieve a bronze, silver, gold or platinum level certification.

"ANSI/NSC 373 is a rigorous, science-based standard that helps the building community identify more sustainable materials. As a further sign of its value, the standard was recently referenced as a compliance path in the 2015 International Green Construction Code (IgCC)," said Jenny Oorbeck, NSF International's sustainability general manager. "Through certification, Coldspring has made a significant public declaration about its commitment to sustainability while also providing more sustainable material options for architects and designers."

ANSI/NSC 373 also includes a companion Chain of Custody (COC) program, which is important to the certification because it ensures traceability of certified stone from the quarry to processing and throughout the supply chain and ultimately to their journeys end.

"More than ever before, sustainability is on the forefront of top minds in the building industry – from architects to owners to product manufacturers," said Kathy Spanier, Coldspring's director of marketing. "Coldspring's ANSI/NSC 373 certification will help ensure architects and owners that the stone for their buildings is produced in an economic, environmental and socially responsible manner. It will help project teams and consumers clearly recognize which natural stones support these important project goals."