The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute continued its era of growth throughout 2015, notching hundreds of certified products and launching a stand-alone certification devoted to Material Health.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified mark provides a clear, visible and tangible validation of a manufacturer’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, offering third-party verification across five attributes: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy, water stewardship and social fairness.
In 2015, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute issued 71 new certifications under its Built Environment banner, a 36 percent increase, covering 370 product variations. Twenty-six of the new certifications were to companies new to Cradle to Cradle. At the end of 2015, certifications under the Built Environment category totaled 268, representing about 1,630 product variations sold by 129 companies. The number of all Cradle to Cradle Certified products currently stands at more than 2,800.
Among the products earning certification under the multi-attribute standard were Shaw EcoWorx Tile Carpets (Silver), W.F. Taylor’s line of flooring adhesives (Gold), and Steelcase’s B-Free Seating (Bronze).
Another significant milestone in 2015 was the launch of the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificate, a stand-alone certification option based on the Material Health section of the full Cradle to Cradle program. The Material Health attribute provides manufacturers with a trusted way to communicate their work toward chemically optimized products and assists specifiers and consumers in knowing about the chemicals in products and supply chains, and avoiding chemicals of concern. Since introduction of the MHC, Cradle to Cradle has issued 33 Material Health stand-alone certificates. Products earning Material Health Certificates include GAF’s EverGuard Extreme TPO Roofing Membrane (Silver), Owens Corning’s PB Binder Unfaced Ceiling Board (Gold), and ThyssenKrupp Elevator BioBlend Enviromax 2.0 Biodegradable Elevator Hydraulic Oil (Platinum).
“Architects, builders and developers can’t also be chemists; they can’t be expected to know and understand every single ingredient in a product, much less the potential hazards those ingredients might pose,” says Stacy Glass, vice president, Built Environment for the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. “The Material Health Certificate offers an ‘easy button’—providing buyers with a clearer picture into the health and safety of the contents of their homes and buildings.”