Cradle to Cradle Program Expands in UK

by | May 28, 2013

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EMG CSR Consultancy has partnered with nonprofit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute to increase awareness and participation in the UK of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program.

Anglo-Dutch sustainability consultant group EMG will provide management and communications support for the institute in its effort to help companies launch and promote Cradle to Cradle Certified products.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program is a circular economy system, in which manufacturers and designers create products with technical materials that can be used in continuous cycles or biological ones that can be disposed of in any natural environment and decompose into the soil. William McDonough and Michael Braungart, who co-founded the institute, created the cradle to cradle framework.

Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard rates products across five quality categories, including material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness. Companies can work to continually improve in each of categories, moving from basic certification up to bronze, silver, gold or platinum levels.

Dutch carpet manufacturer Desso, an EMG client, has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the most successful examples of Cradle to Cradle implementation. Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute President Bridgett Luther says the partnership with EMG aims to generate similar success stories in the UK.

Earlier this year, sportswear company Puma launched InCycle, the brand’s first “closed-loop” collection of footwear, apparel and accessories, all of which have earned the Cradle to Cradle Certified Basic certification.

Puma’s InCycle products are entirely biodegradable or recyclable, the company says. To develop the collection, Puma collaborated with Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency, an institute that aims to help companies fulfill the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s criteria for the design of ecologically and intelligently designed products.

 

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