Understanding “Cradle to Cradle”Cradle to Cradle Certification Products meeting rigorous environmental, safety and transparency standards can receive Cradle to Cradle® certification.

Understanding “Cradle to Cradle”

Cradle to Cradle Design “Cradle to Cradle” is a new design principle. Instead of designing prod-

ucts to last from “cradle” to “grave,” under a new paradigm a product is

designed so that when it is used product becomes new “raw” material

for other products. Also known as a closed loop system, this model

differs from traditional recycling, where products are “down-cycled”

into lower quality components or products. In a closed loop system

materials are fully reusable and mimic natural ecological systems. This

phrase was originally coined by Walter Stahel, but it has been

popularized by William McDonough’s book of the same name and has

now become widely adopted as a new way of thinking of product design.

Companies and engineers are now devising creative ways to design

products that are not only fully recyclable, but that can actually be

disassembled and reused in new products.

Cradle to Cradle Certification Products meeting rigorous environmental, safety and transparency standards can receive Cradle to Cradle® certification. This certification goes beyond many other environmental certifications because it considers the degree to which a product is designed for future life cycles. The criteria are:

1. Material Health

2. Material Reutilization

3. Renewable Energy Use

4. Water Stewardship

5. Social Responsibility

Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute For more information visit: http://www.mbdc.com/

“Material Reutilization” It is the requirement that sets this certifica-

tion apart from other environmental certifi-

cations. To encourage moving beyond the

idea of “waste,” companies are rewarded

for designs that “encourage the recyclabil-

ity of the product for future uses.” Products

receive a higher level of certification if they

contain recycled or renewable materials

and are “designed to be recycled as techni-

cal or biological nutrients in future life cy-

cles.” The highest certification level re-

quires companies create truly “closed loop”

production processes.

Product Designs that have achieved Cradle to Cradle Certification:

The products that have achieved

certification include:

Furniture & fabrics

Cleaning products

Personal care products

Electrical goods & lighting

Paper & packaging

Whiteboards & window Shades

Similar to other certifications there are several levels of

certification a product can receive depending on the number of

criteria they fulfill. A few of the required criteria are listed here:

1. Basic

2. Silver

3. Gold

4. Platinum: To achieve the highest certification level a

company must be actively recovering products in a closed

loop production system. Companies must use 100% renew-

able energy during final assembly (and 50% throughout the

supply chain). They must also achieve the highest bar for

their material reutilization score. There must also meet

water conservation and social responsibility standards.

Product design is the first step to making products that are safer for consumers and better for the environment. Small beneficial changes at the beginning multiply throughout the lifecycle.

Eliminating harmful substances in the first stage is the most

effective way to reduce their overall impact.