O u r F u n dam en t a ls
Taking the road less travelled Many people have asked us why we took the giant step to go from sustainability to Cradle to Cradle®. To answer this question, we have to look at the main differences between sustainability and Cradle to Cradle®. Often, sustainability starts by evaluating the impact of a material or an activity on the environment, and then tries to minimise those impacts. But in following this approach, you could be optimising the wrong things – trying to do less of a bad thing. Cradle to Cradle® starts by defining the ‘perfect’ product based on user requirements and functionality and by applying the three Cradle to Cradle® principles: waste equals food, use current solar income and celebrate diversity. When any business is planning its sustainability strategy it must answer the following two questions and decide which direction to take. Is your target to achieve zero impact? Or is your target to achieve maximum positive impact? If the answer is zero impact, you will be designing a product focused on doing less harm with current methods. If you adopt the quality approach, you will be designing products that are built to have a positive impact on the environment. 100%
Eco-effectiveness leads to maximum positive impact Define, increase, support and optimise
Reduction, avoidance, minimisation and prevention Eco-efficiency strives for zero impact
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Our Fundamentals - Cradle to Cradle®
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