Corporate strategy Cradle to cradle William McDonough, that the philosophy
became more well-known.
The book was effectively a manifesto for C2C, and gave specific examples on how the concept can be applied.
The C2C concept can be incorporated into all areas – from governance and planning policy through to product design. It focuses
Waste is food. There is no such thing as ‘waste’. Following a C2C approach every- thing should be designed so it can be recycled or reused within either biological or technical ‘cycles’. Products should exist in a continuous flow – solving the raw material challenge – although this does require a redesign of many
on three central themes: n
current products and buildings; n
Using our current solar income. Just a tiny fraction of the Sun’s energy that hits the Earth is enough to meet all our power needs many times over. Conceivably we can rely solely on
renewable energy, and this should be our aim; n
Celebrate diversity. Too often, a ‘one size fits all’ approach is (mis-)applied. We should take inspiration from nature and design our solutions according to all of the opportunities and constraints in a specific situation.
Currently C2C is fairly well known in parts of Europe, particularly the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as in the US where it has had the support of Governor Schwarzenegger. Its profile in the UK is fairly limited, but this is starting to change. Environmental consul- tancy Royal Haskoning is currently working as part of the C2C Network with Suffolk County Council and nine other European partners. The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and made possible by the INTERREG IVC pro- gramme with funding of almost €2.5M avail- able for the two-year project.
European research
The project acknowledges that while C2C principles are good goals to have, they cannot be achieved overnight. A transitional phase is inevitable, but the network aims to assess the feasibility of the C2C concept and look at opportunities for C2C thinking to influence projects, as well as legislation, governance and guidance, across Europe. Critically we still need to understand what this will look like on the ground, and how it can realistically be delivered. There are organisations across Europe, and indeed the world, that are adopt- ing the C2C ethos – some of them consciously and some unknowingly. The C2C Network is looking to identify existing examples and promote ways of sharing good practice. Incrementally learning from, and building on,
24 | Sustainable Business | June 2010 WHO IS MICHAEL BRAUNGART
Born in 1958, Braungart is a German chemist who advocates that humans can have a positive ecological foot- print by redesigning industrial produc- tion processes.
The pioneering scientist is currently a professor of process engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Suderburg and additionally holds the Cradle-to-Cradle chair at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
these eco-effective front-runners will be key to driving this change. The first year of the project has focused on good practice identification and knowledge sharing. Now, in the second year, it is taking that good practice and looking at how it can be applied elsewhere across Europe. More than 150 examples of good practice have been identified across four themes: n
design and product service systems); n
working); n
Building design (architecture); and n Governance
The aim of the project is to transfer 20-25 of these good practices to other projects in Europe, replicating their overall aims, learn- ing from the original concept, and developing additional benefits where possible. It is also looking to influence action planning in the EC regions as well as central EU legislation and regulation.
In the built environment
Royal Haskoning, which is based in the Netherlands but has offices in the UK and across
the world, has been working with Michael Braungart for several years to help companies introduce C2C thinking to their projects. The much higher profile of C2C in the Netherlands means that it is not uncom- mon for the philosophy to be embedded in building projects from day one. It is crucial to introduce C2C at this early stage in order to establish points such as how the building will be used, who the range of potential users are, transport links, and so on. In doing this a roadmap to an ambitious project outcome can
Area-specific spatial development (including infrastructure, regional and industrial net-
be developed early on, deeply embedding the eco-effective approach and meaning that high levels of sustainability are value-engineered in, rather than out.
A good example of how C2C thinking has been applied in the building sector is the new City Hall of Venlo, which aims to enhance the wellbeing of its users. This ambitious project draws upon C2C for inspiration and the design is focused on creating clean water, clean air, and improving health and productiv-
ity. C2C elements include: n
Enhancing water quality: using a helophyte filter for cleaning water, using rain water for
toilets and sun collectors to warm water; n
Enhancing biodiversity, and cleaning the air: Green areas have been integrated in and out- side the building and, combined with green walls and a rooftop greenhouse the building is actively cleaning air, buffering water, produc-
ing oxygen and growing fruits and vegetables; n
Allowing new ways of transport through enhancing access to public transport, but also incorporating charge stations for electric vehi- cles and bicycles.
Industry (products, production processes &
Another new element in this project is the proactive involvement of the C2C industry community in the design stage. Companies were invited to share their C2C-inspired innovations to be applied in the building. This includes C2C certified materials: mate- rials with no lifecycle ‘pollution’, and those designed to ensure separated biological and technical elements make future reuse easy. Royal Haskoning also worked to deliver a
raft of C2C features at the Hague University. Although there are elements of the building where eco-effectiveness could not be imple- mented, the design also incorporates a very high level of eco-efficiency – the new build- ing has such a high sustainability rating that it won the National Energy Future (NET) Trophy for energy efficiency even before it was officially opened, making it an out- standing environment for top-quality techni- cal education. It is widely acclaimed as the most sustainable educational building in the
Netherlands. Features include: n
Dual land use – the building’s roof top has been used as a car park, while the freed up
space has been used for parkland; n
meeting space; n
excellent insulation values; and n
An atrium serves as a climate buffer and Windows feature triple layer of glass giving
Heat is recovered from the air conditioning system
Energy needs have been met by measures including aquifer heat and cold storage, wind
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52