Cradle to Cradle Philosophy

Cradle to cradle is a term developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Dr. Michael Braungart describing a unique approach to design and science, which they laid out in their (2002) book, Cradle to Cradle. The concept is that all materials used in the industrial or commercial process fall into two "technical" or "biological" nutrients. Technical nutrients are man-made materials that can be recycled and reused, creating a continuous cycle. Biological nutrients are the materials that form naturally and are generally recycled through a composting process. There are five basic steps to the cradle-to-cradle design. The system's first part is identifying material health through a color coding system. The material is assessed against criteria and eventually ranked on a scale with green being low risk, yellow being those with moderate risk but are acceptable to continue to use, and red for materials with a high chance that need to be phased out. Grey is used for materials with incomplete data, thus giving environmentally proactive companies another tool to help them make more ecologically sound decisions. The next importance is how well the material can be recycled and reused at the end of its life. Then an assessment of energy required for production, which for the highest level of certification, needs to be based on at least 50% renewable energy for all parts. The rest of the steps address water usage and water quality. Another essential process is managing social responsibility by looking objectively at fair labor practices. Labor is a form of capital. It is the most crustal part of the production. With all things considered, there is no wonder that companies like Ford Motor Company and countries like China have looked at the cradle-to-cradle system. Innovative programs like this one are not a silver bullet to fix the social, economic, and climate issues that the current and future generations face, but it is undoubtedly another building block in a solid foundation of change that our world is starting to move toward.