New Clout for Cradle to Cradle Design

Three leaders in sustainable-design consulting are collaborating to leverage their expertise, stimulate new products, and boost "cradle to cradle" certification

by Reena Jana

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Three of the leaders in corporate consulting on sustainable design announced Sept. 19 an international partnership aiming to further the reach of the "cradle to cradle" design protocol. Joining forces are McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), a Charlottesville (Va.)-based consultancy that focuses on environmentally friendly product-and-service design and development (with clients such as Nike (NKE) and Ford (F)); the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), a scientific research institute based in Hamburg, Germany; and Material ConneXion, a New York-headquartered consultant that advises Fortune 500 companies such as Whirlpool (WHR) and Procter & Gamble (PG) on high-performance materials. Each company will remain independent, but the three will collaborate on a series of workshops, share research resources, and conduct "cradle to cradle" certification.

The three principals hope that, by teaming up, they will exert yet more clout among the designers and executives responsible for developing a variety of consumer products or commissioning, designing, or retrofitting buildings around the world. The collaboration adds weight to the influence of the cradle to cradle philosophy already popularized by two of the partners, architect William McDonough and scientist Michael Braungart, who co-wrote the 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (North Point Press). The philosophy essentially is to create a product via a waste-free production process, using only reusable, biodegradable, or consumable materials.

The initial idea for the three-way partnership surfaced about two-and-a-half years ago during casual conversations among McDonough, Braungart, and design entrepreneur George Beylerian, Material ConneXion's founder and president, who is also known for introducing U.S. consumers to high-end Italian furniture in the 1980s and as the former vice president and creative director of Steelcase's (SCS) design partnership division. McDonough and Beylerian have been colleagues in the design field for 30 years.

"The exciting part for us, an enterprise in Charlotteville, and for EPEA, based in Hamburg, was to have a more global reach in the market of designers," says McDonough of the new strategy. He adds that the affiliation with Material ConneXion, already popular among design and architectural professionals, provides a design-centric strategy for developing sustainable products for corporations. "Designers offer key [audiences] for our protocol," he says. "The work of sustainability is the work of design."

How They'll Spread the Word

The partnership will offer various services, with fees ranging from $5,000 to $200,000 (the three partners do not disclose how profits will be split). Options include various workshops, including a general session during which participants can learn about available methods for creating sustainable packaging and goods. Another will focus specifically on cradle to cradle concepts and strategies, drawing on case studies from MBDC and EPEA and using Material ConneXion examples. Customized workshops can be organized for groups of designers and executives. Representatives from each firm will host sessions: with MBDC speakers addressing certification issues; EPEA staff discussing scientific research on sustainability, and Material ConneXion experts presenting the latest green fabrics and substances.

Eventually, the companies hope to develop new goods and services with their clients.