EPEA - Part of Drees & Sommer

Cradle to Cradle®

The Cradle to Cradle® design principle is inspired by nature: The aim is not only to minimize negative influences, but also to leave a positive footprint. This creates industrial products, processes, buildings and cities that are safe for people, healthy for the environment and successful for business.
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Rethink products

What doesn't stay in circulation ends up as trash

Cradle to Cradle® is a design principle developed in the 1990s by Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, William McDonough and EPEA Hamburg. It stands for innovation, quality and good design. It stands for innovation, quality and good design, and describes the safe and potentially infinite circulation of materials and nutrients in cycles.
All ingredients are chemically safe and recyclable. Waste in today's sense no longer exists, only usable nutrients.
In the biological cycle, materials such as cleaning agents or textile abrasions can be safely returned to nature, where they become nutrients for new products. In the technical cycle, durable goods such as electronics or floor coverings are designed in such a way that their materials can be broken down into their raw materials after use and reused without losing quality.
Cradle to Cradle Kreisläufe
Eco-effectiveness instead of efficiency

The three principles of Cradle to Cradle

Traditionally, companies try to reduce their environmental impact (ecological footprint), make their product or service a bit less bad, and aim for a “zero-emission” or “free-from” strategy. It should not be about being less bad, but about setting positive goals, i.e. being “more good.” In the future, a successful business model will have a positive impact on the environment, society and the economy.

Nutrients remain nutrients

All products should be designed in such a way that they are useful for reuse. Either in the biosphere or in the technosphere. The concept of waste becomes superfluous.

Using renewable energy

All processes require energy. This energy should be provided in a renewable way. Other sources of energy include not only solar energy, but also wind power, hydropower and the sustainable use of biomass.

Supporting diversity

Natural systems thrive through complexity; they promote diversity, flexibility and resilience. Transferred to our economic and value system, this strengthens cultural and social diversity as well as regional solutions.
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We deliver sustainable products and business models that are digital, scalable and ahead of regulatory requirements, with transparent supply chains.

Our mission is clear: healthy materials, circular design and positive impact.

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EPEA Leistung Zirkuläre Produkte

Circular products

EPEA supports manufacturers on their way to healthy and recyclable products. With our expertise in materials science and as an accredited partner of Cradle to Cradle®, we create the basis for future-proof products.
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Circular construction industry

Circular construction means choosing materials from the outset in such a way that they can be used multiple times. With our “Circularity Consulting” approach, we help building owners, architects and project developers to measurably integrate circular economy into construction projects.
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Urban Mining

Using strategic material flow management, we selectively return dismantled materials to the use cycle. This utilises existing resources to create new economic, ecological and sustainable potential for future-oriented and value-adding construction projects.
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Man on a Mission

Michael Braungart

Since the early 1980s, the chemist and process engineer has been working for a world without waste. Whether at Greenpeace, EPEA, the Hamburg Environmental Institute or various universities, concrete solutions to complex environmental problems have always been developed.
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Do you have any questions?

In the FAQ, you will find answers to frequently asked questions about Cradle to Cradle.
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