In Conversation With Cradle to Cradle Founder Michael Braungart
Heard of Cradle to Cradle? It's more than just a recycling philosophy, it's a whole new way of doing business
Did you know that houses and home decor can be real sources of recyclable material? Much of what we use, place and build into our spaces is recyclable. Better yet, Cradle to Cradle manufacturing offers a way to recover these materials completely. The Cradle to Cradle approach is about monitoring the entire chain of a product’s production. At the end of their intended life, designs made from environmentally friendly materials can, in turn, form the source materials for new products. The goal of this cycle is to recover pure materials and thereby reuse their raw components. This way the process mimics nature, which produces no waste.
The Cradle to Cradle model was developed by German chemist Professor Michael Braungart and American architect and designer William McDonough in the early 1990s. Houzz spoke with Braungart and learned, to our surprise, that Cradle to Cradle is not only about sustainable raw materials and product management, but also about new business models.
The Cradle to Cradle model was developed by German chemist Professor Michael Braungart and American architect and designer William McDonough in the early 1990s. Houzz spoke with Braungart and learned, to our surprise, that Cradle to Cradle is not only about sustainable raw materials and product management, but also about new business models.
A simple example of Cradle to Cradle: kitchen waste turns into humus-rich compost in a composter, then provides food for plants and rewards the gardener with produce and flowers, which will eventually land in the composter themselves. This way, everyone can participate in the garden waste cycle.
What is the Cradle to Cradle principle?
It is actually very simple. A producer no longer sells carpeting, but floor finish insurance. You don’t sell a desk chair anymore, but healthy sitting insurance for 10 years. The producer delivers only the service. Then the customer knows that he or she will receive a good desk chair, which will survive for 10 years, or that the floor finish will look good for 10 years.
What is the Cradle to Cradle principle?
It is actually very simple. A producer no longer sells carpeting, but floor finish insurance. You don’t sell a desk chair anymore, but healthy sitting insurance for 10 years. The producer delivers only the service. Then the customer knows that he or she will receive a good desk chair, which will survive for 10 years, or that the floor finish will look good for 10 years.
More and more flooring producers like Tarkett work on the Cradle to Cradle principle. Carpets, like the ones in the Desso Home Touch Collection (pictured), for example, release minimal VOCs. Moreover, Tarkett has started its own return and recycling program, which has especially positive repercussions for property furnishing. The floor finishes it takes back are turned into new carpets or vinyl flooring.
And what does the producer get out of this?
With this business model, the producer turns into a material bank. They sell only the use of a product, that is, only the possession, not the ownership. This allows the producer to use much better, healthier and more beautiful materials, not the cheapest ones. This way, my client becomes my friend.
It is not about durability, but rather about a clearly defined period of use, made possible by innovations. Then after use the product is returned to the producer, who can recover the materials or sell the pure raw materials. This gives the producer long-lasting financial security.
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And what does the producer get out of this?
With this business model, the producer turns into a material bank. They sell only the use of a product, that is, only the possession, not the ownership. This allows the producer to use much better, healthier and more beautiful materials, not the cheapest ones. This way, my client becomes my friend.
It is not about durability, but rather about a clearly defined period of use, made possible by innovations. Then after use the product is returned to the producer, who can recover the materials or sell the pure raw materials. This gives the producer long-lasting financial security.
Connect with other design and renovation professionals on Houzz
In a port building from 1900 in Brooklyn, USA, manufacturer IceStone produces Cradle to Cradle certified surfaces for kitchens and bathrooms out of recycled glass. The company recycles 90 percent of its manufacturing waste and stands by sustainable processes in its entire production cycle and within the company.
Could you explain this principle with a concrete example?
At the moment we have a lovely project for kitchen insurance. In principle, the manufacturer sells use of the kitchen for 15 years. Then the kitchen manufacturer can include the most beautiful high-tech materials instead of cheap chipboard, because it sells only the service, not the materials.
The consumer does not need to hope that the old kitchen will break to justify getting a new one. And the kitchen designer can produce kitchens that are more beautiful and don’t give off any toxic vapors. This creates a source of innovation and, above all, high quality.
And how does this make the product more sustainable?
It is not about sustainability, but about quality. A product that contains toxins, which at some point become waste, simply has a quality problem. I see no moral dimension there. The quality aspect can turn into innovation and open up completely new areas of business.
Could you explain this principle with a concrete example?
At the moment we have a lovely project for kitchen insurance. In principle, the manufacturer sells use of the kitchen for 15 years. Then the kitchen manufacturer can include the most beautiful high-tech materials instead of cheap chipboard, because it sells only the service, not the materials.
The consumer does not need to hope that the old kitchen will break to justify getting a new one. And the kitchen designer can produce kitchens that are more beautiful and don’t give off any toxic vapors. This creates a source of innovation and, above all, high quality.
And how does this make the product more sustainable?
It is not about sustainability, but about quality. A product that contains toxins, which at some point become waste, simply has a quality problem. I see no moral dimension there. The quality aspect can turn into innovation and open up completely new areas of business.
USA-based furniture manufacturer Steelcase has worked with Professor Braungart since 1994, leading to the launch of its Think Chair, which is bronze Cradle to Cradle certified. Steelcase is still actively working on this vision, exploring takeback options through pilot projects around the world.
Have any other producers adopted this temporary use concept?
Yes, in the furniture industry. The field of office furniture is fairly advanced in this sense.
Have any other producers adopted this temporary use concept?
Yes, in the furniture industry. The field of office furniture is fairly advanced in this sense.
The classic Haller furniture system from USM has been in production since 1969, when it was already ahead of its time in terms of sustainability. All modules are easily configurable with one another thanks to a connecting element patented by USM. It is easy to modify and extend furniture from USM, meaning it grows with its owners and surroundings. This is also true because the system has remained largely unchanged since 1969 – new colours and modules have just been added. Since 2018, the system is bronze Cradle to Cradle certified.
Why should the product be returned, if it’s still in use?
The point is that it brings health advantages for the client, for example for their back. Even if the chair should still be intact after 10 years, it makes sense to exchange it. And for the manufacturer, the defined use is an advantage. This way it turns into a material bank. That is, it is not obliged to keep producing chairs.
It can enter a futures contract and say that, for example, in 2027, 24 tonnes of this or that material would be available. Who could use this raw material? This way the company remains valuable. It can mortgage this worth and go to the bank when it needs money.
Why should the product be returned, if it’s still in use?
The point is that it brings health advantages for the client, for example for their back. Even if the chair should still be intact after 10 years, it makes sense to exchange it. And for the manufacturer, the defined use is an advantage. This way it turns into a material bank. That is, it is not obliged to keep producing chairs.
It can enter a futures contract and say that, for example, in 2027, 24 tonnes of this or that material would be available. Who could use this raw material? This way the company remains valuable. It can mortgage this worth and go to the bank when it needs money.
You are known for initiating projects around the world. Where is Cradle to Cradle sought after?
We are working on some large-scale projects in China. But also around here. In southern Germany we have a pilot project with manufacturers of classroom furniture: the manufacturers can produce the best furniture for schools, not the cheapest. In Germany, we are often still in the early stages when it comes to new business models. You know, it is a race against time.
We need other models, and many companies in the furniture sector are too slow. Mechanical engineering grasped it a long time ago. One doesn’t sell washing machines, but 3000 wash cycles. That is, the machine is only a service. Flooring manufacturers have also understood it, and have started to sell ‘floor finish insurance’. There are some interesting beginnings in the textile and fashion industries as well.
We are working on some large-scale projects in China. But also around here. In southern Germany we have a pilot project with manufacturers of classroom furniture: the manufacturers can produce the best furniture for schools, not the cheapest. In Germany, we are often still in the early stages when it comes to new business models. You know, it is a race against time.
We need other models, and many companies in the furniture sector are too slow. Mechanical engineering grasped it a long time ago. One doesn’t sell washing machines, but 3000 wash cycles. That is, the machine is only a service. Flooring manufacturers have also understood it, and have started to sell ‘floor finish insurance’. There are some interesting beginnings in the textile and fashion industries as well.
Tiles from Netherlands-based manufacturer Mosa are all Cradle to Cradle certified. They are free from volatile organic compounds and therefore contribute to healthy indoor air quality. For Mosa, besides pure and recyclable raw materials, Cradle to Cradle also means lower energy use and environmentally friendly water management in production, as well as good working conditions.
As a Greenpeace activist in the 1980s, you focused on the use of toxins in various products. Are you still an innovation partner?
Yes, this is still the leitmotiv and the principle of Cradle to Cradle. We want products and furniture that are healthy. We could, for example, make furniture with edible upholstery. Did you know that often offcuts in the furniture industry are so toxic, that they must be burned as hazardous waste? This is so absurd. So after all, from the beginning, I should use ingredients I could also eat without thinking twice about it.
This kind of upholstery already plays an important role in the aviation sector, since the air quality in the aeroplane is of course a huge problem. It is also interesting that these natural fabrics are about 20 percent cheaper.
Browse more beautiful bathroom designs on Houzz
As a Greenpeace activist in the 1980s, you focused on the use of toxins in various products. Are you still an innovation partner?
Yes, this is still the leitmotiv and the principle of Cradle to Cradle. We want products and furniture that are healthy. We could, for example, make furniture with edible upholstery. Did you know that often offcuts in the furniture industry are so toxic, that they must be burned as hazardous waste? This is so absurd. So after all, from the beginning, I should use ingredients I could also eat without thinking twice about it.
This kind of upholstery already plays an important role in the aviation sector, since the air quality in the aeroplane is of course a huge problem. It is also interesting that these natural fabrics are about 20 percent cheaper.
Browse more beautiful bathroom designs on Houzz
The OceanSafe collection from Deco Design Fürus bears the strictly controlled Gold Cradle to Cradle certificate. The sheets, hand towels, curtains and decorative fabrics are organic and compostable. After their lifetime, micro-organisms will change these products back into biomass. The raw materials are even edible. “Only good materials are put in, in the beginning, at the end only good materials come out again,” said company owner Manuel Schweizer us at Heimtextil 2020, a leading textiles trade fair in Germany.
Are there any further advantages, when safe materials are used?
Of course. Working conditions are better, my employees work in a healthier environment and are more motivated. I don’t need treatment processes to be switched on afterwards, because of clever choices in the manufacturing and the product made at the beginning.
However, this takes for granted that the fabrics, wood or paints are treated in such a way and contain only those ingredients that can return to biological cycles afterwards. The waste therefore turns into a nutrient again, as it were. And the raw ingredients are once again returned to the cycle.
Are there any further advantages, when safe materials are used?
Of course. Working conditions are better, my employees work in a healthier environment and are more motivated. I don’t need treatment processes to be switched on afterwards, because of clever choices in the manufacturing and the product made at the beginning.
However, this takes for granted that the fabrics, wood or paints are treated in such a way and contain only those ingredients that can return to biological cycles afterwards. The waste therefore turns into a nutrient again, as it were. And the raw ingredients are once again returned to the cycle.
The Essential bed from Auping is made primarily of aluminium. It can be completely disassembled and the materials 100 percent recycled. It has also received the Cradle to Cradle bronze certificate.
Environmental awareness is a big topic for the younger generation. Are you seeing new trends?
Yes! Luckily there is a change of generations in many companies. For the young people it is no longer enough just to earn money. They say, I gain nothing if our company doubles sales but doesn’t shape anything meaningful that way.
And then the original owners are thankful and kiss my feet, so to speak, for my ideas and approaches, because they get a motivated next generation. A next generation that really wants to change things. With Cradle to Cradle it is not about being less ‘bad’ and reducing the ecological damage. No, we want to be good right from the beginning.
Your turn
Would you be tempted to participate in this novel sustainable concept now or in the future? Share your thoughts in the Comments below. And if you found this story interesting, like it, share it and save the images for inspiration.
More
Curious about other new and sustainable initiatives? Read up on 4 Trends From Heimtextil 2021: Is There Such a Thing as ‘New’?
Environmental awareness is a big topic for the younger generation. Are you seeing new trends?
Yes! Luckily there is a change of generations in many companies. For the young people it is no longer enough just to earn money. They say, I gain nothing if our company doubles sales but doesn’t shape anything meaningful that way.
And then the original owners are thankful and kiss my feet, so to speak, for my ideas and approaches, because they get a motivated next generation. A next generation that really wants to change things. With Cradle to Cradle it is not about being less ‘bad’ and reducing the ecological damage. No, we want to be good right from the beginning.
Your turn
Would you be tempted to participate in this novel sustainable concept now or in the future? Share your thoughts in the Comments below. And if you found this story interesting, like it, share it and save the images for inspiration.
More
Curious about other new and sustainable initiatives? Read up on 4 Trends From Heimtextil 2021: Is There Such a Thing as ‘New’?
With his international environmental research institute and consultancy Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency in Hamburg, Germany, he advises companies and manufacturers on all things sustainable. He is also the co-founder of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) in the United States. With William McDonough, he co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
Professor Braungart says that in the furniture industry, office suppliers and flooring manufacturers have taken to the Cradle to Cradle principle most enthusiastically.