In a circular economy, materials are increasingly reused and recycled. Due to the large differences between materials, it is not always easy to use materials in the circular economy, nor is it possible to reuse all materials to a high standard. How do we ensure that the materials we reuse are safe and of good quality?
During the first Cradle to Cradle café of 2021, the speakers discussed the application of recycled materials in the circular economy.
Christina Raab gave an update on the latest initiatives of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and provide insights into the new version 4.0 of Cradle to Cradle Certified.
Frieke Heens of RIVM explained the method development to measure progress on the transition towards a safe & circular economy.
And Robert Winkel presented SAWA, the highest fully wooden residential building: an example of how future architecture can turn challenges around to make a positive contribution to both earth and society.
This webinar was moderated by Caroline Kruit.
Additional questions for Christina Raab:
How sustainable is it, when a building that has achieved a C2C bronze certificate has to change in order to keep and improve towards a C2C silver certificate and thereby change for instance the materialisation?
Cradle to Cradle Certified is not a building level certification but a building product level certification. Depending on the certification achievements of the product, certain credits can be gained under the various building schemes.
What is new in version 4. Is an overview with the differences available?
Yes, a detailed comparison overview is available on the Institute website: https://www.c2ccertified.org/resources/detail/v3.1-to-draft-v4-comparison
https://cdn.c2ccertified.org/resources/certification/C2CC_v3.1_to_v4_comparison_FINAL_031121.pdf
Dr. Christina Raab (Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute)
Materials in a circular economy: how cradle to cradle principles are driving innovations
Safe and circular materials play an important role in the development of healthy and green buildings. The presentation will give an update on the latest initiatives of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and provide insights into the new version 4.0 of Cradle to Cradle Certified. It will also demonstrate recent best practice examples where the implementation of the Cradle to Cradle product standard has accelerated sustainability targets, spurred future-proof product development and drove deep transformation across the value chain.
Dr. Christina Raab is the Vice President, Strategy & Development at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, where she is globally responsible for the growth, innovation, and impact initiatives across sectors such as built environment, fashion, cosmetics, cleaning products and packaging. Before joining the Institute Christina held management positions in international firms at the forefront of sustainability and circularity services and started her professional journey at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.
Frieke Heens (RIVM)
The Dutch Government aims to have established a circular economy in 2050. The presentation will discuss how RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) is involved in method development to measure progress on the transition towards a safe & circular economy. It will also demonstrate some ongoing activities at RIVM to promote innovation of substances that can safely be used in a circular economy.
Frieke Heens is a passionate scientist and project manager with a background in biology. She is driven to contribute towards the realization of a positive impact for people and planet, by rethinking the way we produce and consume. At RIVM she is conducting research and is advising (national) governments in the realization of a Safe & Circular Economy. Before joining RIVM, Frieke had gained experience with the Cradle to Cradle concept as she was working 10 years at EPEA with several companies to realize their C2C ambitions.
Robert Winkel (MEI Architects and planners | Nice Developers)
SAWA
In these challenging times, we find ourselves daily dealing with current issues such as health, global warming, and housing and materials shortage. With one of their latest innovative projects, the highest fully wooden residential building SAWA in Rotterdam, Mei is setting an example of how future architecture can turn these challenges around to make a positive contribution to both earth and society. SAWA represents a new generation of buildings and marks an important step in the sustainability objectives and tangible evidence that things can be done differently. During this presentation Robert Winkel will be using SAWA to dive into the opportunities of combining wide ambitions of, for example, biodiversity, circularity, and a shared economy, in one project, while at the same time creating a feasible business case.
Robert Winkel is the energetic foreman of Mei architects and planners an Rotterdam based architectural firm with a growing team of 35 designers and professionals with great expertise in transformation, urban planning, and innovation in architecture. Over the past 25 years, Robert succeeded to grow the office into an award-winning international firm with iconic projects all over Europe, like the transformed Fenix I warehouse and the new-built McDonald’s pavilion in Rotterdam, the vibrant mixed-use Delft Kabeldistrict, or redeveloped of an old Silk Factory into a new city center in Russia. In specific projects, Robert takes an active part in initiating and developing, of which he, with Nice Developers, is the client together with ERA Contour.
Next to running the office, Robert holds various external roles of social importance. Currently he is amongst other functions chairman of Environmental Quality Commission in Amsterdam, supervisor of Rotterdam – the Hague Airport and chairman of the Quality-team Feyenoord-City in Rotterdam. On a regular basis he serves as a visiting critic on numerous universities and colleges and he is a frequently asked juror for various awards, as the Gouden Piramide state prize and ARC Awards.
