Do you know

... you cannot cultivate stone ?

... the ornamental stone sector respects the environment ?

... stone possesses exceptional qualities for construction ?

... ornamental stone is an important source of natural wealth for the Walloon Region ?

... stone is a contemporary, attractive material ?

... building with stone is more economical ?

... the extraction of ornamental stone is at the source of a vast industrial sector ?

... the ornamental stone sector provides thousands of jobs ?

... the Walloon Region is a centre of excellence ?

... stone from the Walloon region is exported ?

... stone plays its part in the global policy of sustainable development ?

... stoneworking is a job for specialists ?

... stone from the Walloon region is exported ?

Although the production of ornamental stone is primarily intended to meet the demands of the Belgian market, a significant amount is exported. Bordering countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and France greatly admire Belgian materials, which blend harmoniously into Northern landscapes. With an annual production total of 950, 000 tonnes gross weight, Belgium is ranked 4th out of European exporters of ornamental stone. In terms of production, Belgium is placed after France in 6th position in the list of European producers with 4% of the market, which is dominated by Italy (37.3%) and Spain (24.4%), and lies in 13th position overall in the world. Not so bad !