As we wait for the November launch of LEED v4, it’s worth noting that our favorite sustainable building rating system now includes Cradle to Cradle Certification. This is the result of a majority vote (a whopping 85{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab}) by members of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The win-win and beneficial cycle of cradle to cradle.
It’s about time the Cradle to Cradle Certification became part of the new LEED. In our world that’s increasingly (and unstoppably) consumerist, products often have a given time frame for their usefulness, after which they’re mindlessly discarded and meant to join the waste stream. This so-called Cradle to Grave approach only encourages manufacturers to create more from new resources, without any regard or responsibility for their product after it leaves the factory.
The Cradle to Cradle philosophy on the other hand puts responsibility back to the manufacturers for their products. This may mean making every component of their product as eco-friendly as possible so that at the end of the product’s life, it can be broken down and either recycled (or downcycled) or simply returned to the environment. Little or no waste is generated then.
What does this mean for the building sector?
With the Cradle to Cradle Certification, LEED becomes a more reliable, honest, and powerful instrument for measuring a building’s sustainability. Other building ratings system just might be inspired to follow suit.
Needless to say, the newly added factor would mean stricter guidelines for building companies. This might be a bit of a challenge as they choose and favor only those materials which embody the Cradle to Cradle Certification, while rejecting those which don’t.
Consequently, manufacturers—from the plastic to lumber to chemical industries—will be compelled to take responsibility for the materials they develop for the building sector, ensuring that their products are sustainable in all five aspects required by the Cradle to Cradle Certification.
1. Renewable energy (Does the manufacture of the product use at least 50{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} renewable energy?)
2. Clean water (Does the manufacturer use a closed-loop water system—reusing the water over and over again—to make its product?)
3. Material health (Are there any hazardous components to the materials?)
4. Social responsibility (Does the manufacturer practice fair labor for its workers?)
5. Material reutilization (Can the product be recovered and recycled at the end of its life?)
LEED Buildings should now have at least 20 Cradle to Cradle Certified products to earn points. Failing that, a project must use “at least 25{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab}, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products.”
Cradle to Cradle Philosophy: A Timeline
1980s: Swiss architect Walter R. Stahel coins the term Cradle to Cradle, based on his research report (with co-author Genevieve Reday) on circular economy.
1991: Designer William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart work around the concept of Cradle to Cradle, predating USGBC and its green building certification.
1992: McDonough and Braungart publishes The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability.
2002: McDonough and Braungart publishes Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
2005: Cradle to Cradle Certification is launched, initially as a trademarked system for McDonough and Braungart’s company, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC).
2010: Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is created, after McDonough and Braungart releases its trademark for public and non-profit use. The methodology serves as a guide for builders and designers wanting to improve their performance regarding the use of various materials in industrial and commercial processes.
2013: USGBC’s LEED v4 includes Cradle to Cradle Certification.
