Cradle to Cradle Certified® offers a robust, science-based methodology for implementing circularity into your business model, starting with your product design.
This approach is versatile, applying to a wide variety of product categories such as building materials, textiles, electronics, personal care, and many more.
Our team is here to help you harness this powerful tool to design for circularity and achieve lasting, positive change. We have facilitated certifications for products in numerous industries, helping businesses of all sizes launch their circular economy journeys.
Using C2C Certified® to guide your sustainability efforts will drive innovation and development in your organization starting from your products.
Five categories of sustainability performance
Assessing products across five categories of sustainability performance, the Cradle to Cradle Certified® methodology allows you have a comprehensive view of your product's impacts and enact a balanced approach that doesn't leave out any important aspects.
C2C Certified® categories explained
Material Health
In this category of the Cradle to Cradle Certified®, we assess whether the chemicals and materials you use are chosen to safeguard human health and protect the environment. By making conscious material choices, you ensure a positive impact on the quality of materials available for future use and recycling.
Product Circularity
This category focuses on designing products with their next life in mind. By adhering to the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard, you make sure that your products can be effectively cycled through their intended pathways. This is achieved through circular sourcing, circular design, and implementing circular systems.
Clean Air & Climate Protection
In this category, we assess how your product manufacturing process contributes to cleaner air, uses renewable energy sources, and balances greenhouse gas emissions. This involves measuring and reporting energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Aiming to adopt renewable energy, mitigate emissions, improve air quality, and ensure your products have a positive impact on the environment and align with climate protection goals.
Water & Soil Stewardship
In this category, we assess how you treat water and soil as vital, shared resources. By protecting watersheds and soil ecosystems, the goal is to ensure clean water and healthy soils for people and other living organisms. This involves measuring, monitoring, and reporting water usage as well as the quality of effluent and sludge. All while taking action to conserve water and soil, produce high-quality effluent and sludge, and provide clean drinking water.
Social Fairness
In this category, we assess your commitment to upholding human rights and applying fair and equitable business practices. This includes ensuring fundamental human rights are upheld in their operations and throughout the product's value chain, while actively contributing to a fair and equitable society.
A pathway to industry transformation
Ideal for businesses of any size, this standard provides a comprehensive, unified solution designed to guide you from commitment to action through a structured five-step pathway:
Prioritize action across five key sustainability focus areas: Material Health, Product Circularity, Clean Air & Climate Protection, Water & Soil Stewardship, and Social Fairness
Enact roadmaps for change, from product innovation to operations.
Transform business models, systems and collaboration throughout the value chain.
Verify sustainability performance and measure progress.
Lead industry transformation towards a safe, circular and equitable future.
Listing on the C2C Certified® official product registry
Upon receiving the certification, your product will be listed on the live product registry on the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, where all currently certified products are listed, providing public visibility and credibility to your product and organization.
Opt for the Material Health Certificate instead
If you prefer to focus on verifying that chemicals and materials used in your product are selected to prioritize the protection of human health and the environment, you may start with the C2C Certified Material Health Certificate™. This certificate corresponds to the rigorous Material Health assessment methodology of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard, and can be extended to full certification.
Opt for the Circularity Certification instead
C2C Certified® Circularity is the ideal starting point for companies aiming for the circular economy. This derivative of the full C2C Certified® certification focuses on the Product Circularity category, helping manufacturers verify circularity claims. It also provides a route to the full C2C Certified® certification.