Cradle-to-Cradle

            You may be wondering why I have a picture of a Cherry Blossom tree on my blog.  In Cradle-to-Cradle, McDonough and Braungart open chapter four with a discussion of how the blossoms on a cherry tree fall to the ground, decompose, and enrich the soil.  It seems to be a never-ending cycle.  This example reminds me of the plants in my front yard that die at the end of their growing season.  When these plants die, they create food for organisms in the soil.  When the next growing season comes along the plants regrow then eventually die.  This all explains a concept called, waste=food.  In today’s society though, some of this waste is toxic and harmful to the environment.  That is the point of this blog post, to explain what is happening with waste and how we can better manage it.

            Material waste is divided into two categories.  These are: biological mass and technical mass.  When these two become contaminated, that is where the problem begins.  The harmful chemicals eventually get into our water sources and affect our health.  According to Cradle-to-Cradle, if we continue to throw away the technical material and not recycle them, the world will become it’s own graveyard.  The world needs to establish the Cradle-to-Cradle system and start designing eco-friendly products from the very beginning to completely eliminate waste.  As I was watching the Case Study of Cradle-to-Cradle video, I came across this quote, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”  Albert Einstein is the person who is quoted to saying this.  We as people need to completely change our way of thinking when we are designing products.  We need to clear our slate and start all over in order to see change.

            Now on to the subject of recycling.  According to The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability, most recycling today is considered down-cycling because of the recycled material’s poor quality.  The book states that the recycling systems that are in place today do not compare at all to nature’s recycling abilities.  With each recycle, the materials become less useful.  The alternative to this is up-cycling.  Up-cycling takes the recycled material and transforms it into a high-quality material that can be easily up-cycled again.  As stated before, this is in contrast to down-cycling that contains a mix of different materials that would not be useful to the environment.

            Cradle-to-Cradle, discusses how in earlier years, people would repair their appliances that broke down or sell them to junk dealers.  In today’s society, it is cheaper to simply replace the broken item for a new one.  Repair costs are high and to most people it’s not worth it.  What we don’t realize is that it is worth it for the environment.  Chapter four also discusses how cars are not designed from the beginning to break down into technical nutrients.  Below is a picture of the 2013 Ford Fusion.  Ford designed this car to reduce the amount of toxic materials that are used in the production of a car. 

Ford states that every Fusion manufactured will have unexpected material in various places of the car.  Denim is used to eliminate the noisy sounds of driving on a bumpy road.  The seats are made of Repreve yarn which is made from post-consumer waste.  The foam that is used inside of the seat cushions is made from a soy-based material.  And last, recycled plastic is used on the underside of the car.

            There are many standards used when producing a product.  These standards are put into place to ensure that the products made do not affect either our health or the environment.  One of these standards is the AAFA Restricted Substances list.  The AAFA (American Apparel and Footwear Association) Restricted Substances list is a list of all the restricted chemicals and substances that cannot be used in the production of a product.  Two of the substances that are restricted are lead and mercury.  These two substances are restricted in the use of children’s wear.  According to Alternative Medical, exposure to both can cause decreased appetite, constipation, vomiting, and learning problems. 

            Another standard set in place is the GOTS.  The Global Textile Standard is a standard that covers the entire production process of textiles.  To be considered “organic”, a textile product must contain at least 95% organic fibers.  The other 5% can contain natural or synthetic fibers that are not of the same material that is used in the other 95%.  A substance that is prohibited in the production of textiles is fluorocarbons.  Fluorocarbons are normally used in textiles to make the material water-repellant.  According to “fibre2fashion.com”, Fluorocarbons are difficult to break down naturally and because of this are considered to be organic pollutants.

            After doing some research on companies practicing sustainability, I came across two companies that have incorporated Cradle-to-Cradle in their productions.  I had discussed previously about the 2013 Ford Fusion.  I came across another sustainable effort that Ford is in the process of working on.  According to, From Principles to Practice by McDonough and Braungart, the company has started a Cradle-to-Cradle renovation to its Rouge River Industrial site by building a factory with a living roof and a landscape surrounded by wetlands that decontaminate the storm water.  Another company jumping on the bandwagon is Shaw Industries, a carpet manufacturer.  Shaw Industries is researching what is put into their carpets so they can become aware of the harmful chemicals and remove them entirely.   

            The United States has a huge impact on other countries that are either under-developed or developing.  While reading Cradle-to-Cradle, I came across a discussion of how countries other than the United States used to have sustainable practices but now these countries rely mainly on the Western World for food and resources.  We, the United States, need to realize the impact we have on these countries and how we have the ability to change their social paradigm.  What we practice influences other countries greatly.  We can have a positive impact on other countries and ourselves by practicing Cradle-to-Cradle and setting standards that eliminate hazardous waste in our environment.