Going Beyond Cradle to Cradle: The Upcycle and the Future of Sustainable Design

The Upcycle – Taking Cradle to Cradle to the Next Level

When William McDonough and Michael Braungart released their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things in 2002, few could predict their ideas would have such a wide-reaching impact on the world of business. However, the Cradle to Cradle principle provided a much-needed blueprint for companies to incorporate the principles of sustainability into their business models and paved the way for a new certification system based on a products entire life cycle. The book has since been translated into 12 languages and become required reading for numerous college courses based on sustainability.

Nearly ten years after the publication of Cradle to Cradle, McDonough and Braungart have released yet another landmark book called The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability – Designing for Abundance. Instead of simply rehashing the same ideas presented in the original book, they have taken the Cradle to Cradle philosophy and expanded it even further: rather than simply protect the planet from human impact, we should redesign economic development so that it improves the planet.

But before delving too much into their latest offering, let’s take a look at McDonough and Braungart themselves and how their environmental ideas eventually came to fruition.

Who Are William McDonough and Michael Braungart?

In the early 1990s, Bill McDonough was a successful American architect with a particular interest in ecological design. Michael Braungart was a German chemist who studied industrial production processes and co-founded the chemistry section of Greenpeace. When the two met in 1991 at an Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency reception in New York, they realized that by combining their expertise, they could lead the charge for sustainable industrial design.

They published their first book, Hannover Principles of Design: Design for Sustainability, in 1991. It set out some of their initial ideas on designing buildings and products with environmental and social sustainability in mind. Then in 1995 they established McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), a firm dedicated to helping companies implement ecologically-minded design principles in their business models.

Finally, after more than ten years getting their hands dirty in the world of environmental design, they decided to distill all their knowledge into a comprehensive new book – a book which later became known as Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things

Cradle to Cradle – From Conception to Certification

The title of their book is derived from the “Cradle to Cradle” concept, which is the idea that production systems should be modeled after natural systems. As such, all the materials used in production should be viewed as nutrients circulating in a closed loop cycle mimicking how nature operates. Therefore, no waste should be generated. Instead, the output from production should consist only of materials that can either be reused in the system or that pose no negative impact when released into the environment.

However, one of the key components of incorporating the Cradle to Cradle concept in business models is that by eliminating waste, a company can actually save money. Therefore, the Cradle to Cradle concept can be both environmentally and economically beneficial.

McDonough and Braungart eventually decided to take the Cradle to Cradle concept further by devising a certification system with which to rank and evaluate products.

Much like LEED certification ranks the sustainability of buildings, Cradle to Cradle certification ranks products in terms of their environmental and social sustainability. In order to achieve certification, a product must meet the minimum criteria in five categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social benefits. Once a product achieves the minimum requirements, it is given one of five rankings, ranging from basic to platinum based on how well that product promotes an ideal Cradle to Cradle world.

The Cradle to Cradle certification system has now become a prestigious rating system for companies at the forefront of sustainability.

The Upcycle: The Next Generation of Cradle to Cradle

Given that 10 years have now elapsed since the publication of Cradle to Cradle, one can imagine that McDonough and Braungart have had some time to expand on their initial sustainability principles. Unsurprisingly, they still espouse modelling business models after natural systems to ensure zero-waste production.

However, at the forefront of The Upcycle is the idea that business models should actually work to improve the planet, rather than just reuse resources with greater efficiency. Rather than consider one life of a product, businesses should consider the next five lives of a product.

Therefore “zero-waste” is the bare minimum companies should work towards when designing production systems. By actually improving the environment through production, both economic development and the natural environment can flourish.

Of course one does not often encounter such an optimistic approach in the environmental literature these days. But McDonough and Braungart present a convincing argument that the principles presented in Upcycle can achieve widespread adoption. The book is filled with numerous inspiring examples of how companies have taken the Cradle to Cradle principle to the next level while improving both the environment and their bottom line.

In the end, the Cradle to the Cradle principle is not some abstract scientific theory that looks better on paper than it does in practice. More and more companies are receiving Cradle to Cradle certification as technology improves and consumers demand greener products.

This demand for greener products has especially become apparent in the food packaging industry, which is often criticized for its wastefulness and neglect for the environment.

Be Green Packaging is the first food packaging company to achieve a Cradle to Cradle certification.

Cradle to Cradle Explained: A Simple Visual Guide to Understanding How it Works and Why it Matters

The environmental movement has come quite a long ways since its activist roots in the 1960′s.  The ideas of conservation, sustainability, and green living are no longer considered the realm of ‘tree-hugging hippies’, but valid, highly relevant concepts in a society struggling to cope with its over reliance on fossil fuels and destructive environmental practices, which are having very real and obviously detrimental effects on our quality of life.  The question now has become: how fast can we embrace these environmental ideals and transform our society to avoid any type of large scale cataclysm?  This has led to the widespread recognition of the importance of these concepts and a new, re-invigorated environmental movement has formed that is asking everyone to do their part — be they soccer mom or Fortune 500 company.  While it is important for us to take collective responsibility for our actions, the fact of the matter is that business and industry account for over 90% of pollution and waste generated on the planet — and companies are feeling the pressure to adopt environmentally sound practices and products growing by the day.

Green Goes Mainstream

If you haven’t already noticed, ‘green’ products are IN.  While this is great and it’s spurring a whole new wave of enthusiasm for sustainable design and imaginative solutions to our worlds most pressing problems, its also become a marketing frenzy with companies constantly touting the ‘green’ features of their latest products — whether or not they have actually made any changes at all or are just ‘spinning’ how their polluting, wasteful product is presented.  This is known as ‘greenwashing’.  Greenwashing is a practice engaged in by companies wishing to get in on the thriving ‘green renaissance’ without actually doing anything green.  Greenwasher’s will do nothing to change their environmentally or socially harmful product or behavoir but still try to market it as eco-friendly, healthy, or in some way sustainable.  The biggest example of this deception that comes to mind involves food labelled as ‘natural’, which, while it sounds good to the consumer, is a totally unregulated term that essentially has zero meaning.  Companies who claim their products are natural can and may still use Genetically Modified ingredients, which last time I checked involved using a ‘gene gun’ to splice bacterial DNA fragments into otherwise healthy plants so they would have a ‘supernatural’ ability to resist extraordinary levels of synthetic, toxic pesticides and herbicides.  Yup, totally natural.

How Can We Tell What Products and Practices are Truly Green?

Greenwashing is a big problem and it relies heavily on an uneducated population — but how are we supposed to know if every claim on every product on the shelves is true?  We are literally inundated with 100′s of products on a daily basis all making some kind of claim as to their healthfulness, sustainability, or some other fantastic quality showing that they are indeed the best thing yes to happen to the environment.  The problem is that some of them are truly amazing, innovative products, while others are totally trying to greenwash you into believing they are doing something meaningful and responsible.  I received my degree in Environmental Studies and sometimes I even have trouble telling what’s what — so how can we expect the average consumer to know the difference between a truly green product and its greenwashing counterpart?  Simple: Certifications.

Understanding the Role of Certifications in Protecting the Consumer and the Planet

One of the best ways to help consumers instantly identify and recognize truly green products is through the use of certifications.  Certifications alert us through the use of an official logo or seal that a product has undergone testing, review, or monitoring at the hands of an independent organization to ensure that the claims being made about its healthfulness or sustainability are true.   Certification bodies provide a method to objectively evaluate products in a way that gives an accurate representation of their true eco-social merits.  In the food industry, the USDA and CCOF Organic seal’s are perhaps the best known of these types of certifications — but what about for household products, packaging, or furniture?  How do we evaluate the sustainability of these types of goods?

The Cradle to Cradle Certified^CM Products Program

In that regard, perhaps the most respected, stringent worldwide organization for certification of everyday products is the Cradle to Cradle^cm Products Innovation Institute.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm program provides a high level of transparency into a company’s affairs by allowing an independent, 3^rd party organization to review product design, manufacturing facilities, and processes in order to provide feedback on areas that may need improvement or adjustment.  If a company meets or exceeds the institute’s standards, a certification is awarded according to varying levels of achievement along a continuum.

The  Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm standard is based on the principles outlined by Dr. Michael Braungart and William McDonough in their seminal book ”Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”, which laid the framework for reassessing how we view a products life cycle.  According to C2CPII literature, a “Cradle to Cradle Certification is a multi-attribute eco-label that assesses a product’s safety to humans and the environment and design for future life cycles.”  Products (and the associated manufacturing processes) must meet or exceed a series of standards that assess applications in the following five areas: material health, material reutilization, energy (renewables usage, conservation), water stewardship, and social responsibility

If you are an environmental scientist or industry engineer, that description is clear as day, but for the rest of us, it might leave you scratching your head a bit.  In order to help those non-technical individuals looking to better understand exactly what a Cradle to Cradle^cm certification entails, we have put together the following info graphic to help explain the concept in a more accessible way.

(Click for a larger image)

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Article by Justin Faerman

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Celebrates the Legacy of Visionary Cofounder William McDonough

Pioneering ‘green’ architect and visionary William McDonough was honored last night at a private gala in San Francisco, CA.  McDonough is widely known for his seminal book Cradle to Cradle (co-written with Michael Braungart), which launched a revolution in the way we think about a products life cycle.  The book has inspired an entire generation to abandon the old ‘cradle to grave’ mentality in which products are thrown away at the end of their useful life. Instead, McDonough and Braungart propose that we design products not to be discarded, but as technical nutrients that can be reused indefinitely, thereby avoiding the landfill and all the problems caused by their use

McDonough is also known for his visionary work as a green architect, which integrates environmentally conscious design features such as passive solar heating and other energy and water saving features.  He has designed forward thinking, green buildings for NASA, the Environmental Defense Fund, Ford Motors and Gap, among others.  Many of McDonough’s projects have been awarded LEED certifications, which recognize outstanding sustainable design elements within new or retrofitted buildings.

On hand to celebrate the event was Be Green Packaging CEO Ron Blitzer.  Blitzer’s company, which manufactures and distributes compostable and recyclable plant fiber packaging, has held a Cradle to Cradle Silver certification since 2010.  Be Green’s product line is firmly rooted in the Cradle to Cradle philosophy as it can be reused as a nutrient at the end of its life cycle in multiple different ways depending on how the product is disposed of.  Blitzer is known to be a champion of the Cradle to Cradle philosophy, and the book is required reading for all employees at Be Green Packaging.

Genji Sushi Wins Responsible Packaging Award for Use of Be Green Packaging Trays

Be Green Packaging would like to congratulate longtime client and collaborator Genji Sushi for winning a Responsible Packaging Award from the Responsible Packaging Project!

Genji Sushi Honored with Responsible Packaging Award

Company Recognized for Its Patented 100% Compostable Sushi Tray by Leading Industry Body

Philadelphia, PA, September 26, 2011 –(PR.com)– Genji Sushi, purveyor of all-natural sushi and Japanese cuisine at 137 Whole Foods Markets on the East Coast and in San Francisco, is proud to announce it is the recipient of a Responsible Packaging Award from the Responsible Packaging Project. Genji was recognized for its patented 100% tree-free compostable sushi tray, which was co-developed with partner Be Green Packaging, LLC. The Award was presented at the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore, MD on September 24, 2011.“We are honored to receive this award from the Responsible Packaging Project,” said Ken Blakeman, Director of Marketing, Genji, Inc. “Our commitment to sustainability and earth-friendly practices is central to our mission, and we are proud to be praised for our efforts.”

The Responsible Packaging Awards recognize organic and natural industry achievements and innovations in environmentally responsible packaging, including materials reduction, the use of 100% post-consumer recycled, non-GMO, compostable and third party certified packaging and packaging that is returnable for reuse, easily recycled or reused by the end user. Nominees are evaluated on criteria in three areas: commitment to transparency, extended producer responsibility and ecological systems design principles.

The Awards are co-sponsored by the Responsible Packaging Project, a non-profit collaboration of the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association, Independent Natural Foods Retail Association, National Cooperative Grocers Association, New Hope Natural Media, Organic Trade Association, United Natural Foods Inc. and Whole Foods Market’s Green Mission.

The Awards ceremony was held on September 24, 2011 at 12:00PM in room 322 at the Baltimore Convention Center during the Natural Products Expo in East Baltimore, MD. To learn more, please visit http://www.responsible-packaging.org.

About Genji Sushi

Established in 1997, Genji Sushi is dedicated to the finest quality all-natural sushi and Japanese-inspired cuisine in a grab‐and‐go style. Its sushi bars are located within 138 Whole Foods Market locations in 18 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.K. At each location, skilled chefs prepare a variety of fresh items on‐site, including raw, cooked, vegetarian and vegan-friendly sushi and sides. The company mission is to contribute towards healthier food consumption habits on a global level. For more information, visit www.genjiweb.com.

About Be Green Packaging

Be Green Packaging LLC, based out of Santa Barbara, Calif., manufactures and distributes Cradle to Cradle certified, tree-free, compostable, recyclable, and non-GMO packaging for the food and consumer packaging industries. The company’s products are made from annually renewable plant fibers that are safe for people and healthy for the planet. For more information about the company, please visit www.begreenpackaging.com.

Plant Fiber Packaging Company, Be Green Packaging, LLC., Receives Renewed Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Certification

SANTA BARBARA, July 25th – Be Green Packaging, LLC. today announced that it has successfully completed its annual audit to renew the status of its bulrush food containers as Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm  Silver .  The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) is an eco-certification body that maintains progressive environmental standards.  The organization requires an annual review of product materials and manufacturing processes to ensure compliance with its protocols.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm program provides a high level of transparency into a company’s affairs by allowing an independent, 3^rd party organization to review product design, manufacturing facilities, and processes in order to provide feedback on areas that may need improvement or adjustment.  If a company meets or exceeds the institute’s standards, a certification is awarded according to varying levels of achievement along a continuum.

The  Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm standard is based on the principles outlined by Dr. Michael Braungart and William McDonough in their seminal book ”Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”, which laid the framework for reassessing how we view a products life cycle.  According to C2CPII literature, a “Cradle to Cradle Certification is a multi-attribute eco-label that assesses a product’s safety to humans and the environment and design for future life cycles.”  Products (and the associated manufacturing processes) must meet or exceed a series of standards that assess applications in the following five areas: material health, material reutilization, energy (renewables usage, conservation), water stewardship, and social responsibility.  As of the writing of this press release, Be Green Packaging is the only foodservice packaging manufacturer to have been Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm.

“We are serious about going the extra mile to get our products certified by independent organizations that maintain stringent eco-standards.” commented Be Green CEO Ron Blitzer on the recent achievement. “Our director of eco-social initiatives, Eva Van Wingerden, ensures that Be Green maintains a strong commitment to the triple bottom line philosophy, which balances the environment, economy, and equity, by working hard to receive independent verification of all of our claims from various eco-certification bodies the world over.  The renewal of our Cradle to Cradle certification is proof that we care about more than our bottom line.”

The company recently received industry wide attention for its work with Gillette (P&G), which garnered the duo a Diamond award at DuPont’s 23rd Annual Awards for Packaging Innovation.  In addition to P&G, Be Green currently supplies notable organizations such as Whole Foods Market, 7-11, and Sonoco, among others.  The company will be expanding its worldwide operations by opening the nation’s first plant fiber packaging facility in South Carolina later this year.

Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm is a certification mark sub-licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

[Authors Note: The Cradle to Cradle Certified^cm program was founded by sustainable design consulting firm McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) and has moved to the recently established nonprofit organization Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute for administration.]

Be Green Packaging LLC, based in Santa Barbara, California, manufactures and distributes Cradle to Cradle^cm Certified, tree-free, compostable packaging for the food and consumer packaging industries. The company’s products are made from annually renewable plant fibers that are safe for people and healthy for the planet. For more information about the company, please visit: www.begreenpackaging.com

Leading Market Research Firm Pira International Releases Report on Sustainable Packaging Industry Growth Drivers

In a consumer driven marketplace there are few actions that speak as loudly as “voting with your wallet” and as Pira International’s latest packaging industry survey reveals, companies are indeed listening.  The firm recently released a comprehensive marketing intelligence report entitled The Future of Sustainable Packaging to 2020: Convenience Vs the Environment, which outlines a dramatic shift in perception within the packaging industry regarding sustainability.  The research firm chose to approach the study from a “consumer-based” perspective, seeking to understand exactly what forces are driving the marketplace.

Pira interviewed key players in the global packaging supply chain in order to understand what they considered to be the largest drivers of growth in the sustainable packaging industry.  According to Pira, sustainability is defined as growth that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. The results of the study showed that 79% of the respondents felt consumer awareness of environmental issues and new material developments were the most important factors driving growth within the field.

Based on the results of the study, the researchers concluded that “…the packaging industry cannot help but become the sustainability focal point and primary benchmark for other industries.”  Linda Casey of Packaging Digest went on to state “Not only is packaging a resource intensive sector in an increasingly resource constrained world, but tons of packaging waste are ending up in landfills daily.”  Considering these factors, it becomes quite clear that the potential for innovation within the industry is huge.

Major companies are beginning to take note and a few have stepped forward to lead the “sustainable packaging revolution” by adopting forward-thinking solutions that eschew traditional petroleum-based plastics.  In the public sector, Whole Foods Market, Proctor and Gamble’s Gillette Razor Company (UK), and Pepsi Co. are among those that have led the charge by adopting 100% recyclable, plant-based packaging for use on some of their products.  With many of the worlds most recognizable brands preparing to follow suit, it is only a matter of time before truly sustainable, plant-based packaging becomes an industry standard.

The large scale adoption of plant-based packaging currently underway is helping to create economies of scale that will encourage companies that may have initially been reluctant to adopt sustainable packaging due its high price to reconsider their decisions.  This is especially true in light of the recent surge in oil prices that continues to make traditional petroleum-based plastic packaging look less favorable by the day.

In addition to measuring drivers of growth, Pira’s study also identified major barriers that need to be overcome in order for sustainable packaging to be adopted on a wider scale.  Researchers concluded that there is a significant level of confusion surrounding “eco buzz words” such as biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, recycled, and other variations on these and similar terms.  While there is a growing number of highly educated eco-enthusiasts that intentionally seek out green products, the reality is that the average consumer is overwhelmed by the growing list of vaguely defined and often overlapping terms used to market and describe sustainable packaging.

The study’s authors suggest that both the packaging industry and consumers need to work together to develop a unified set of standards that will end confusion and maintain transparency in the rapidly growing sustainability sector.  Independent organizations such as the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute have developed their own strict standards that could potentially serve as a framework for future legislation.  A list of packaging companies that are currently certified by the organization can be found here.

While the report’s overall outlook is certainly positive, there nonetheless remain significant hurdles that need to be overcome in the rapidly growing field.  If consumers are indeed the major drivers of growth within the industry, it is imperative that they understand just what it is they are getting.

To find out more about Pira International or to purchase a copy of the report, visit their website at www.pira-international.com.

- Justin Faerman

Be Green Packaging Launches Nation’s First Sustainable Plant-Fiber Manufacturing Facility Based on Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Standards

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - May 26, 2011 - Be Green Packaging, LLC. announced today that it has finalized the purchase of the manufacturing plant where it will house the nations first compostable packaging facility based on the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s standards. The rapidly growing company, which is located in Santa Barbara, CA, designs and manufactures Cradle to Cradle certified packaging from plant-based fibers and is currently supplying notable companies such as Whole Foods Market, 7-Eleven and P&G’s Gillette Razor Company, among others. Be Green’s present domestic operations are limited to warehouses in Boston and Los Angeles, however, the company is seeking to augment its China manufacturing base with the new facility in Ridgeland, SC.

In order to accommodate its growing list of clients and expand the company’s operations globally, Be Green will be opening a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Jasper county South Carolina. Gov. Nikki Haley recently lauded the company’s decision to locate the facility in Ridgeland stating “What makes this great is that we [the state of South Carolina] said we weren’t going to just focus our economic development and job creation efforts on the cities but also the rural areas that need it the most. Be Green Packaging’s decision to invest more than $7.3 million and create 175 new jobs in our state is exciting news.

The company is currently the only manufacturer of sustainable food packaging to have achieved a Cradle to Cradle certification according to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) protocols. Founded in 2010, the C2CPII is a non-profit organization whose aim is to transform our perception of what makes a product truly sustainable. The C2CPII Cradle to Cradle standard was developed to provide an objective level of certification for products that “…[mirror] the healthy, regenerative productivity of nature, and thereby [create] industry that is continuously improving and sustaining life and growth.” (c2ccertified.org) According to the design firm MBDC (C2CPII’s predecessor), “…unlike single-attribute eco-labels, [the Cradle to Cradle] certification program takes a comprehensive approach to evaluating the design of a product and the practices employed in manufacturing the product.” Factors such as material health, material reutilization, renewable energy use, water stewardship, and social responsibility are considered when determining whether or not a product meets the organizations standards.

The new plant will combine a sophisticated water reclamation system with extensive composting and recycling operations to achieve its goal of becoming a 100% waste-free facility. CEO Ron Blitzer plans to extend the company’s triple bottom line philosophy to the new plant. “Our commitment to sustainability doesn’t end with our products– in addition to reducing our environmental footprint, we will be creating long-term jobs and growth in the area.  We are committed to safety and quality in our plant and adding value to the communities in which we operate. With radical changes happening daily in our industry, now is the time to bring our manufacturing operations to the US.” commented Blitzer.

Since opening its doors in 2007, Be Green has accumulated a long list of 3rd party environmental certifications by maintaining a strong commitment to its triple bottom line philosophy, which puts social and environmental stewardship on par with generating profit as a core policy of the enterprise. The company’s packaging, which is manufactured from renewable, wild-harvested plants such as bulrush, bagasse, and bamboo, is certified compostable, recyclable, and tree-free. A non-GMO certification is pending although the company maintains that it does not use GM fibers in any of its products.

“Innovation is at the core of our enterprise” stated Robert Richman, Chairman and President of Manufacturing. “Because our packaging is manufactured from renewable, plant-based fibers, we are able to eschew petroleum and the significant problems associated with it, including rapidly increasing costs. We are excited to be at the forefront of the green revolution and are working around the clock to get things up and running at the Ridgeland facility.”