Stone Associations Worldwide Unite for a Common Cause
VERONA, ITALY -- Brazil has taken a strategic step toward global leadership in sustainability within the natural stone industry. On September 25th, at Marmomac 2025 in Verona, Italy, the first official meeting of the newly formalized Natural Stone Strategic Alliance (NSSA), headquartered in the U.S., was held. The federation brings together six founding countries: Brazil, the U.S., Italy, Greece, the United Kingdom and Portugal, with the shared mission of promoting natural stone worldwide as a sustainable building material.
As a founding member with a seat on the governing board, Brazil introduced the digital platform developed by IFES (Federal Institute of Espírito Santo), Cachoeiro de Itapemirim campus, which will serve as the foundation for collecting environmental data across member countries. The opening session featured the participation of the Marmomac Italy board, which endorsed the project and reaffirmed institutional support for the initiative, encouraging cooperation among the world’s leading natural stone producers.
Fábio Cruz, vice president of the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas), represented Brazil’s natural stone sector. From the group’s initial discussions to the federation’s establishment, Brazil has played a prominent role. The meeting also included members of the IFES technical team, associations from invited countries such as China and Turkey, and representatives of European industry organizations. “This was a historic meeting,” said Cruz. “For the first time, countries traditionally seen as competitors united around a common goal. We demonstrated that collaboration is possible in the promotion of natural stone globally.”
During the meeting, NSSA’s operating principles were outlined. The organization will function on a project-based model, structured around thematic initiatives of mutual interest. Each project will involve the voluntary participation of interested countries, which will share costs and responsibilities according to their level of engagement. This approach ensures flexibility and a focus on collaborative deliverables with clearly defined objectives.
The first project underway, “EPD Global,” focuses on sustainability and the development of a common technical framework for publishing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). The goal is to position natural stone as a low-carbon building material, supported by reliable and standardized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies, covering the process from extraction to processing.
At the meeting, the IFES team presented the Brazilian digital platform created to capture companies’ environmental data, which will serve as the foundation for the EPD Global project. “The Brazilian methodology was recognized as efficient, secure and replicable,” said Cruz. “This establishes Brazil as a technology exporter and a benchmark in sustainable practices for the sector.”
The platform has already undergone practical testing with real data from five Brazilian companies and is ready to be offered to other federation member countries. The use of the tool will be optional, with each country deciding whether to adopt it or develop its own system. A pricing model is being defined to ensure viability for interested countries, without mandatory implementation. Countries that have already approved the Brazilian system and expressed interest include Germany, Spain, Finland, Greece, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the U.S.
Next Steps
The data collection platform is being developed by IFES in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, coordinated by Centrorochas with support from Sindirochas and Cetemag. The studies are expected to be finalized by September 2026, when the global report of the EPD project will be released during the next Marmomac Italy, scheduled for September 22 to 25, 2026 in Verona.
Additionally, the NSSA timeline includes the following milestones:
• November 1, 2025 – Deadline for membership applications, board nominations and submission of comments on the federation’s bylaws;
• December 1, 2025 – Election of the Board of Directors and approval of the bylaws;
• December 15, 2025 – Release of the official 2026 activity schedule;
• September 2026 – NSSA annual meeting at Marmomac, with the launch of the EPD Global project report.
The next NSSA governing board meeting is scheduled for StonExpo 2026 in Las Vegas, NV, continuing the federation’s strategic and collaborative efforts.
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