Story 3: Cradle to Cradle® Certification Requirements Updated in 2021 to Address Circularity
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Originally developed in Germany, the Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) certification initiative is now in use across Europe and North America. It is a set of design principles that set the global standard for products that are responsibly made and circular. Updates in 2021 include percentages of recycled content by material type.
Leading brands, retailers, designers and manufacturers across the value chain rely on the Cradle to Cradle® Certified Product Standard to communicate the impact of their products on the planet is a positive one. For more than a decade, Cradle to Cradle Certified has been helping companies to innovate and optimize materials and products. Cradle to Cradle® certified assesses the safety, circularity and responsibility of materials and products across five categories of sustainability performance: material health, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, social fairness, and product circularity (including recycled content for plastic polymers).
The 2021 updated evaluation criteria includes variable percentages of recycled content for both post-consumer and total percentage requirements on a sliding scale to achieve either bronze, silver, gold or platinum certifications. Plastic sub-categories included are listed below.
| Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) | General |
| Thermal Insulation (Plastic non-woven Batt) | |
| Building Structure | |
| Plastic Furniture Component | |
| Carpet Fiber | |
| Resilient Flooring | |
| Plastic Binders | |
| Plastic Envelope | |
| Synthetic Fiber for Fabric | |
| Plastic Bottles | |
| Clamshell Containers | |
| Blister Packs |
| High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) | General |
| Piping | |
| Plastic Furniture Component | |
| Transportation Packaging | |
| Binders | |
| Plastic Folders | |
| Plastic Clipboards | |
| Plastic Envelope | |
| Plastic Bottles | |
| Food Tubs and Cups | |
| Grocery, Trash or Lawn Bags |
| Polystyrene | General |
| Plastic Furniture Component | |
| Crown Molding and Tiling | |
| Thermal Insulation (Plastic non-woven Batt) | |
| Binders | |
| Plastic Clipboards | |
| Picture Frames | |
| Loose Fill |
| Polypropylene (PP) | General – Injection Molded |
| General – Blow Molded | |
| Plastic Bottles | |
| Injection Molded PP Food Tubs, Bowls and Other | |
| Transportation Packaging | |
| Thermoformed PP Foods Tubs, Cups, Lids, Plates |
| Other Plastics | single resin recycling source |
| commingled recycling source | |
| Flexible sheet packaging | |
| Flexible pouch packaging |
| Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) | General |
| Plastic Bags <1.0mil (Grocery) | |
| Plastic Bags >1.0mil (Grocery) | |
| Plastic Wrapping |
URLs
Read more here:
https://www.c2ccertified.org/get-certified/product-certification
The European Union (EU) project on Reducing Plastic Waste in Canada
