The Go-To Standard After achieving Cradle to Cradle certification for its new Cascade Flex Vitality, Whitecroft Lighting break down the importance of seeking such accreditation when it comes to environmental and social responsibility.
C
ompanies in every sector face growing
pressure from stakeholders to demonstrate
the environmental and social responsibility of their products, projects and services,
not to mention validate those impacts with transparent, credible communication. The building industry is no different: the way
building products are designed and made today has a very direct impact on the world we will all inhabit tomorrow.
Choices made during the design and development stage are
particularly influential: not only are these decisions difficult to undo in future – they also have a significant bearing on overall indoor environment and the ultimate circularity of the product, space,
building or project. Materials choices, sources and approaches to assembly also have a bearing on people and systems.
What’s more, product designers, developers and manufacturers
looking to optimise the safety, circularity and responsibility of their products also face a proliferation of single-attribute standards that can make it challenging to drive holistic change across systems
and business models. Architects, interior designers, and facilities
managers face a similar challenge in sourcing and selecting products and materials for their projects.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard answers this question with a science-based one-standard solution that makes it easy to
address interconnected environmental and social issues through an actionable framework for designing and making products.
For well over a decade, Cradle to Cradle Certified has been the go-to standard for manufacturers, architects and specifiers committed to
creating spaces and products today that enable a healthy, equitable, sustainable tomorrow.
Rooted in the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy pioneered by
architect William McDonough and chemist Dr. Michael Braungart, the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard is owned by the
Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. Requirements for the third-party certification are developed through a multi-stakeholder process that encompasses public feedback as well as input and
guidance from industry, subject matter experts and sustainability
leaders from around the world. A fourth iteration of the standard was released earlier this year.
Differentiated by its comprehensive approach to the generation of
safe and circular materials and products, the standard requirements Tim Bowes, Head of Lighting Application, Whitecroft Lighting
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Emma Williams, Head of Communications, Cradle to Cradle Product Innovations Institute
are set forth across five critical performance categories: Material
Health, Product Circularity, Clean Air & Climate Protection, Water & Soil Stewardship, and Social Fairness. The holistic scope of
