Last week we started on the first Waste Management Wednesday Series of whether the waste is 'waste' or a resource, and we definitely saw it as a resource. Without further adieu lets welcome today's topic : Cradle2Cradle Philosophy as promised.

Let's define afew terms shall we:

• Cradle-to-grave: this is the full lifecycle assessment from resource extraction (cradle) to the usage of the product and finally it's disposal (grave).
• Cradle-to-gate: this is the lifecycle assessment of a product from resource extraction to before the product is transported to the customer.
• Cradle-to-cradle: this is a specific kind of cradle-to-grave assessment, where the end-of-life disposal step for the product is a recycling process. It is a method used to minimize the environmental impact of products by employing sustainable production, operation, and disposal practices and aims to incorporate social responsibility into product development.

Picture this

This is well within our grasp; all we need is just motivation. For every problem there is a solution and for our waste problem, Cradle2Cradle aims to change how we can better do business by looking at how we manufacture things. How?

The Cradle to Cradle philosophy reframes design as a beneficial, regenerative force. It expands the definition of design quality to include positive effects on economic, ecological, and social health. To that end, their mission is to turn the making of things into a positive force for people, economy, and planet.
Source: Cradle2Cradle Institute

Why Cradle2Cradle?

It defines and honors milestones on the path towards optimized impacts in each of five categories: Material Health; Material Reutilization; Renewable Energy and Carbon Management; and Water Stewardship; and Social Fairness. A company’s sincere commitment to examine its activities and outputs is rewarded every step of the way.

Material Health

Concerned with the design of products that are safe and healthy for humans and the environment from production to use and reuse. This involves knowing all the chemicals present in a product and understanding how each chemical's unique hazard profile could result in potential risks during a product's making, use, and end-of-use.

The Material Health of a product is assessed as per the below criteria:

Material Re-utilization

This is all about "what's next?" Where does a product and the materials it's made of go after it's useful life is over? It looks into the design of products to eliminate the concept of waste with intentional nutrient cycles (Biological or Technical) to retain the full value of the nutrient.

Biological and Technical Nutrient Cycles

Renewable Energy and Carbon Management

Aims to have the production of products positively impact the world's energy and carbon economy promoting renewable energy generation and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. With fossil fuels depleting and putting a strain on financial, political and environmental costs, the need for sustainable energy sources is paramount. Systems using energy from the sun don't put the futures of our children and their children at risk.

Water Stewardship

Clean, accessible water is critical to the health of communities, ecosystems, food security, and energy security. It's also indispensable for economic prosperity. As the global population grows, so does the demand for food, water, and energy. This creates increased stress on freshwater ecosystems and resources. The goods and services these ecosystems provide suffer, too.

In many places around the world, rivers no longer reach the sea, lakes have dried up, and aquifers have collapsed.

Social Fairness

While a seemingly simple concept at first glance, things can quickly get complicated, given the intricacies of modern global product manufacturing. Consider material sourcing: far-flung facilities and complex supply chains spanning many countries and cultures. Suddenly you're faced with lots of potential issues: Child labor; Forced labor; Excessive work time; Worker health and safety; Working conditions; and The ability of workers to earn a living wage.

The goal of this category is to ensure responsible business operations and ethics for all stakeholders, including the supply chain and the environment. Unfortunately, the poor populations suffer more social and environmental damage from industry, social fairness goes beyond the corporate office to drive responsible manufacturing and fair treatment of workers throughout the supply chain.

Conclusion

Products CAN make a positive impact on the world and Cradle2Cradle shows the way.

References

1. Wikipedia:Life-cycle assessment
2. Cradle2Cradle Catalyst Program
3. The Sustainability Consortium
   Image Sources