Cradle to Cradle Certified® is a concept that is becoming increasingly important as the transition to a circular economy continues. Producers and consumers are more and more looking for sustainable and responsible alternatives. But what is really sustainable?
Read how the Cradle to Cradle Certified® philosophy makes you look at products in a different way and how this contributes to passing on a better world.
Cradle to Cradle Certified® means just that: every product you make must
ultimately lead to the creation of a new product. This idea stems from
nature, where waste does not exist, and every end of something is the
start of something else. In practice, this idea has been translated into
two cycles:
Within this cycle you ensure that all raw materials and chemicals used in an organic product are biodegradable or harmless. The goal is for materials to be reabsorbed into nature, serving as raw materials for other natural processes.
In this loop, you design products in such a way that you can repair or reuse them without loss of value. Many people confuse this cycle with recycling. Recycling, however, is merely a postponing the traditional process (creation, use, disposal), because the product ultimately ends up on the waste heap.
In our process, all harmful chemicals are replaced by raw materials and additives that break down in a natural cycle. The associated hygiene dispensers are also integrated in a technological cycle, which means they will serve as a raw material for new dispensers after their lifetime.
The EPEA Institute, the founders of Cradle to Cradle, conduct extensive assessments to determine whether products meet the requirements and standards set.
These criteria have been drawn up for five categories, and products are assessed with a score on five levels - from bronze to platinum. The idea behind this is that organisations continue to make their products more sustainable and grow in level with each new assessment.
In order to maintain a Cradle to Cradle Certified® certification, EPEA assesses every two years whether products still comply or have become even more sustainable.
The certification itself is also evolving: the requirements and standards are constantly being tightened, making it an increasingly difficult challenge for producers to achieve or maintain the C2C Certified® rating.
BlackSatino is Cradle to Cradle Certified® because it meets the following five criteria: