The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has announced it will offer a Material Health Certificate, a tool for manufacturers across industries to communicate their work toward chemically optimized products. The Material Health Certificate marks the first time the Institute has offered reporting of its comprehensive methodology in only one category.
Established in 2006, the multi-attribute Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard has been widely recognized for its depth, rigor, third-party auditing, and ease of reporting via the certification label. Cradle to Cradle Certified products are assessed in five categories: Material Health, Material Reutilization, Renewable Energy, Water Stewardship, Social Fairness. Now, companies have the option to pursue only the Material Health assessment.
“The high standards are the same, but focusing solely on Material Health allows manufacturers to step on the Cradle to Cradle Certified path more readily and encourages more transparency in their products,” said Bridgett Luther, President at the Institute. “We heard from manufacturers across industries that wanted a depth of understanding in what’s in their product, and how safe those ingredients are for humans and the environment. We answered the call to fill this market need with a well established, rigorous methodology that requires continuous improvement. It’s time to take an aggressive approach to making our products safer for human and environmental health.”
The requirements for the Material Health Certificate are identical to those of the Material Health of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard Version 3.0 which is governed by the Institute’s Certification Standards Board. The standard requirements for Continuous Improvement and Optimization and Site Visit of the Production Facility must also be met. Accredited assessment bodies that have been trained and audited by the Institute will conduct the assessment; and the Institute will administer the certificates. Once granted, the certificate will be valid for two years and listed on the Institute’s new Material Health Certificate Registry.
Several companies are pursing the new certificate, including Owens Corning and ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas. Owens Corning, a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems, is in the process of pursuing the Material Health Certificate on three product lines while having already earned Cradle to Cradle certification on a product line.
For more information on the new Material Health Certificate, please visit C2CCertified.org/get-certified/material-health-certification.
About Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute:
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to turn the making of things into a positive force for people, the economy, and the planet. They steward the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Program, which is a system for assessing and constantly improving products based upon five categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy, water stewardship, and social fairness. The Institute is headquartered in San Francisco, California with satellite offices in Amsterdam, NL, Venlo, NL and Raleigh, NC.