Another major Australian company announces plans to ban potentially deadly material

An Australian hardware giant is the latest company to announce it will phase out engineered stone from next year.

Independent Hardware Group (IHG), which includes retailers Mitre 10, Home Hardware, Total Tools and Hardings, has declared it will stop selling all engineered stone products at its stores.

The announcement follows retail giants Bunnings and IKEA making the same move amid calls to ban the material.

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IHG said the company will remove "all offers of engineered stone products, displays and point of sale information from our company owned retail stores" by February 29 next year and it will encourage its independent member stores to do the same.

"IHG will no longer be supporting engineered stone products," the company told 9News.com.au.

"Our purpose is Building Successful Independents, and we're confident removing this product from our offering is the right thing to do for our business, our member and supplier network, consumers and our local communities.

"We will continue to offer a great range of alternative products and materials to help our consumers build their Whole of House in a safe and sustainable manner."

The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union National Secretary Zach Smith welcomed IHG's decision.

"We are now seeing a tidal wave of support behind a total ban of engineered stone," he said.

"Major retailers are confirming what the CFMEU has said from day one: this is an unnecessary product that is killing Australian workers.

READ MORE: Bunnings will stop selling engineered stone amid call for ban

"Businesses that once profited from the deaths of workers are now conceding they have lost any social licence to cash in on deadly engineered stone.

"Federal, state and territory governments have no choice but to back a full ban on the import, use and manufacture of engineered stone.

"While next month's meeting of work health and safety ministers should be a formality, the CFMEU will not rest until a ban is 100 per cent locked in.

"I want to pay tribute to all the CFMEU members including dust disease sufferers who have stood up for the lives of workers."