The Cradle to Cradle concept, or C2C, stands for the use of nutrients instead of the production of waste, in other words genuine recycling of raw materials. Applied to the construction industry, C2C means that the materials which are integrated into buildings are processed and bonded in such a way that they retain their quality as building materials, and that at the end of their life cycle they can again be used as raw materials for new products. The building materials in the products used must be free from pollutants and without any hazard to health.
Dr. Peter Mösle, a partner of Drees & Sommer SE and manager of EPEA GmbH – Part of Drees & Sommer, says: ‘The number of building products which comply with the C2C principle is constantly growing. This shows that manufacturers are paying greater attention to the recyclability, innovative character and sustainability of their building products. For the construction and property industry, this means that Cradle to Cradle is no longer a niche topic, it is now a concept which is fully established in the industry.’
The recipients of new C2C certificates include building product manufacturers such as Strähle Raum-Systeme GmbH, Lindner Group, Technoform Bautec Kunststoffprodukte GmbH, Odenwald Faserplattenwerk GmbH, Tarkett Holding GmbH, Eisinger GmbH, Schüco International KG and Vicona GmbH. To ensure that the products comply with the C2C principle, they were analyzed, evaluated and optimized according to their toxicological properties and recyclability. In addition, records were also presented to show their energy balance, water quantity and quality and their compliance with social criteria during the production process. These tasks were carried out by the Cradle to Cradle auditors of EPEA – Part of Drees & Sommer.
Lindner Group, Technoform Bautec Kunststoffprodukte GmbH, Odenwald Faserplattenwerk GmbH, Tarkett Holding GmbH, Eisinger GmbH, Schüco International KG und Vicona GmbH. Damit die Produkte dem C2C-Prinzip entsprechen, wurden sie hinsichtlich ihrer toxikologischen Eigenschaften und der Recyclingfähigkeit analysiert, bewertet und optimiert. Darüber hinaus wurden dafür die Nachweise über Energiebilanz, Wassermenge und
-qualität sowie die Einhaltung sozialer Kriterien während der Herstellungsprozesse erbracht. Für diese Aufgaben zeichneten die Cradle-to-Cradle-Auditoren von EPEA – Part of Drees & Sommer verantwortlich.