1 Foreword

2 What is Cradle to CradleR○ ?

Cradle to CradleR○ design principles

6 Why promote Cradle to CradleR○ ?

8 Successful cases worldwide

The Netherlands

Park 20│20

Cradle to Cradle Islands

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Product Program

Level of certification and certified products worldwide

17 Cradle to CradleR○ achievements in Taiwan

19 Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM products in Taiwan

21 Conclusion

1

“Sustainable use of resources” is notonly a policy promoted and imple-mented by many countries around theworld, but also the core value of Tai-wan’s waste management strategy.Among the approaches approved inter-nationally to the objective of sustainableuse of resources, Cradle to CradleR○

(C2C) is the concept which advocateslearning from nature and regarding allthings as nutrients that flow within a bi-ological or a technical metabolism.

The Environmental Protection Adminis-tration, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (TaiwanEPA) emphasizes that the promotion ofC2C will be a long-term endeavor, andhas recently called on numerous do-mestic parties to establish the TaiwanC2C Strategic Alliance and founded aC2C platform for sharing applied experiences and knowledge. In 2013 themedia promotion including internet, newspaper, and TV advertisements werealso published and broadcast. Through all the media exposure, the Taiwan EPAhopes the public and enterprises realize the true meaning and significance ofC2C and start to put it into practice. In that way, Taiwan can move forward tothe future of sustainable use of resources by improving the environmental qual-ity and quality of life as well as transforming enterprise in Taiwan.

This brochure was made by the Taiwan EPA in order to enhance the under-standing of C2C among the public, companies and government agencies, sothat they can begin to apply it in practice. This will mean paying attention to thematerial recycling issues of products at the end of their use, and to resolve ex-isting industrial recycling problems as well as industrial pollution.

Stephen Shen

Redesign from the beginning, Sustainable use of resources

Foreword

The Minister’s speech at the C2C promotionworkshop

Cradle to CradleR○ is a registered trademark of MBDC, LLC.

2

What is Cradle to CradleＲ○ ?

Use the same strategy that nature does - every-thing is a nutrient and can be returned to theenvironment or recycled without a loss inquality.

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, people have been prioritizing eco-nomic development, and have designed and manufactured productswith the concept of “Cradle to Grave” paradigm. The “Cradle to Grave”paradigm means that once a natural resource is excavated, it followsthe one-way route of processing, manufacturing, usage and disposal(where it contaminates the environment). To compensate for the re-sulting resource depletion, the slogan of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Re-cycle) has been propagated. However, without making fundamentalchanges to product design, the environment continues to be contam-inated, just at a slower rate. For example, current energy saving strate-gies simply prolong the lives of products or optimize them fordowncycling (i.e., they cannot be recycled at the same quality as virginmaterials). Although this reduces the resource and energy consump-tion rate, the products still end up in the “grave” in the end.

MAKE

TAKE

“Cradle to Grave” c○ 2009 EPEA GmbH

Replacement of destroyed resources

Destruction of resources

WASTE

前言

To address this fundamentally flawed system, Prof. Michael Braungart beganpromoting the idea of Cradle to Cradle R○ (C2C) which is also one way to "re-design" product or material. The basic concept of C2C is to use the same strat-egy that nature does - everything is a nutrient and can be returned to theenvironment or recycled without a loss in quality. C2C is a design paradigmbased on the idea of nutrient management which enables product materials tobe upcycled again and again in biological metabolisms and technical metabo-lisms. In biological metabolism, the materials are broken down and decom-posed by micro-organisms to form a nutrient basis for new natural resources,whereas the technical nutrients will continually circulate as pure and valuablematerials within closed-loop technical cycles.

BiologicalMetabolism

TechnicalMetabolism

c○ 2009 EPEA GmbH

3

Cradle to CradleＲ○ design principles

Realization of the biological and technical cycles of materials and products

4

5

1. Eliminate the concept of waste

Waste does not exist in nature, because the processes of each organismcontribute to the health of the whole ecosystem. Within this C2C framework,scientists, designers and engineers select safe materials and optimize prod-ucts and services, creating closed-loop material flows that are inherently be-nign and sustainable throughout the production, use, and take-back stages.

2. Use renewable energy

C2C encourages active development of solar energy and other solar-derivedenergy such as wind energy, certain forms of hydro energy and energy frombiomass.

3. Celebrate diversity

C2C recognizes and values diversity in ecosystems, culture, individual needsand problem solving. It recognizes that the way to solve environmental prob-lems is not to pursue efficiency (which reduces harmful environmental im-pacts) but to actively pursue eco-effectiveness, to maximize the benefits toecology, society and the economy produced by human activity.

6

The goal of promoting C2C is to utilize environmentally safe and recyclablematerials for product design, utilize diverse solar-derived and other renewableenergy for production and transportation processes, allow biological materialsto reenter the biological cycle, and take back post consumer technical materialsfor technical cycles. C2C not only satisfies human needs, but also eases envi-ronmental problems and reestablishes the relationship between humans andnature.

Promoting C2C incorporates the following seven major features:

1. Reducing the economic burden of purchasing raw materialsAs raw materials are becoming less and less available because of highprices and resource scarcity, C2C’s closed loop systems can reduce theneed to purchase raw materials, and thus yield increasing economic effi-ciency.

2. No waste and no pollution, eliminating the concept ofwasteAs in the natural world, C2C calls for the continuous recycling and reuse ofnutrients without degrading their value, or even using them in ways that in-crease their value, so that products are no longer fated to end up in a grave(final disposal) and the concept of "waste" no longer exists, just like in na-ture.

3. Providing a high-quality safeguard for humans and theenvironmentC2C calls for the use of high standards to assess the impact of materialsand their constituent substances on humans and the environment through-out the product manufacturing, use, and recycling stages, ensuring thehealth of the consuming public and the natural environment.

4. The pursuit of eco-effectiveness, achieving maximum en-vironmental, social, and economic benefitC2C asserts that the only method that can truly resolve our problems andreduce harm to the environment is to actively maximize the benefit of humanactivities to the environment, society, and the economy, rather than exclu-sively pursuing efficiency, which only reduces harmful environmental effects.

Why promote Cradle to CradleＲ○ ?

7

5. Effective management of nutrient resourcesC2C recognizes that all materials must be managed as "nutrients," and as-serts that material behavior, effects and fate must be considered during thestages of extraction of raw materials, production, packaging and transport,use, recycling, and reuse in processing, while designing products as eitherbiological or industrial nutrients. These nutrients can be recycled and reusedas high-quality materials through well-designed take-back systems opti-mized to local circumstances. In that way, the vision of a sustainable use ofresource can be achieved.

6. Making Taiwan a leader in C2C development in line withcurrent international trendsMany developed countries are applying C2C in product design, process im-provement, architectural design and planning, the invention of innovativematerials, soil restoration, and urban planning. Among the countries of Asia,Taiwan has already taken the lead in applying C2C. In the future, Taiwan'ssuccessful experience will become an important reference for other Asiancountries.

7. Providing opportunities for Taiwan's industrial transition For Taiwanese industries, the only way to change from OEMs (original equip-ment manufacturers) to OBMs (original brand manufacturers) and to get ridof the vicious circle of the price war is to invest in product design innovationswhich enhance product value. As global environmental standards are be-coming more complex and strict, domestic enterprises can keep pace withthis green movement, by utilizing C2C during the industrial transitionprocess.

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Silverproduct - office desk

The Netherlands

With an understanding of the challenges of sustainable management, the Dutchgovernment incorporated C2C into national strategies for sustainable develop-ment and resource management, promoted sustainable development and in-dustrial innovation, and drafted C2C implementation strategies for the areas ofsustainable architecture and planning, product design, and administration.

C2C has induced a broad, favorable response from all segments of the Dutchsociety. Enterprises, academic institutions, research institutes, and NGOs havebegun related research, discussion and practices. The Netherlands has be-come a vibrant C2C community, leading Dutch people towards a sustainablefuture.

Successful cases worldwide

8

Park 20|20 in the Netherlands

9

Located in Hoofddorp, Park 20|20 is only a few minutes from Amsterdam'sSchiphol Airport by car. The park contains 89,000 m2 of office and businessspace and 3,700 m2 of public areas. Departing from the conventional model ofa business park, the park seeks to become an all-round community. Park 20|20is the world's first full-scale business park providing "resource recycling" serv-ices, and strives to provide an ideal sustainable working environment in linewith C2C. C2C is applied throughout Park 20|20, where the construction mate-rials for the buildings are C2C certified and are able to enter nutrient cycles.The integrated renewable energy supply systems and the optimized design ofthe buildings reduce CO2 emissions and purify the indoor air. Besides this, acentral water management and treatment system allows the collection of rain-water for sanitary use, thus reducing the water consumption and wastewaterdischarges of the park. Centralized waste management using economies ofscale through the park management center will make Park 20|20 a leadingmodel of a business park that is both eco-effective and economically viable.

Conceptual drawing of Park 20|20

10

The “Cradle to Cradle Islands” (C2CI) is an Interreg IVB North Sea Region Proj-ect initiated in 2009 by 22 partners from six countries around the North Sea.The islands all face similar problems, including lack of resources such as en-ergy, raw materials and water, geographical isolation, environmental impacts,and rapid population loss. In order to ensure the sustainable development ofthe islands, the partners are relying on C2C to develop alternative energy tech-nologies and implement sustainable development strategies for raw materialsand water, with the goal of achieving zero environmental impact by 2030.

Energy-self-sufficient cottage developed as part of the C2CI

11

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Product Program

The Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Product Program, established in 2005 by Mc-Donough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) in the USA and EnvironmentalProtection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Germany and administered bythe Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) <c2ccertified.org>,is currently the sole international C2C product certification system. The programexamines five aspects: material health, material reutilization, renewable energyand carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness, striving to in-corporate environmental protection, sustainable use of resources, and socialconcern in the overall product lifecycle. Depending on the requirementsachieved in each of the five categories, the certification results are split into a5-level system of basic, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, which reflect thestate of ongoing improvement of products with regard to C2C certification stan-dards.

Graphic: Willy Mann, Copyright 2013 C2CPII

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle ProductsInnovation Institute

12

1. Material health

The ABC-X Material Health Assessment Methodologyis applied to determine whether chemical substancesor materials used in products are hazardous or delete-rious to human and environmental health in the contextof C2C scenario, where A or B rating indicates little tono risk associated with this substance; C rating indi-cates low to moderate risk associated with this sub-stance acceptable for continued use; X rating indicateshigh hazard and risk associated with the use of thissubstance which should be phased out; Grey rating in-dicates incomplete data of this substance which cannotbe characterized.

2. Material reutilization

Products are evaluated for their nutrient potential andnutrient recovery in accordance with their respectivemetabolisms (i.e., biological or technical cycle). Further-more, “Material Reutilization Score” calculated accord-ing to the recyclable/compostable and the recycled/rapidly renewable content of products and a nutrientmanagement strategy for actively recovering or cyclingnutrients in their intended metabolisms are also consid-ered in this category.

3. Renewable energy and carbon management

For Basic level, product manufacturers should quantifythe total energy use and direct on-site carbon emis-sions associated with the final manufacturing stage. ForBronze level, a renewable energy use and carbon man-agement strategy must be developed. For Silver andGold level, Renewable energy should be used and car-bon offsets be made during the product's final processstage. For Platinum level, over 100% of purchasedelectricity is renewably sourced or offset with renewableenergy projects for the final manufacturing stage of theproduct.

13

4. Water stewardship

The requirements include compliance with industrialwastewater discharge standards in local laws and reg-ulations, developing management strategies for local-and business-specific water resource-related issues,conducting a facility-wide water audit, improvement ofprocess chemicals in factory effluent, and developinga management strategy for water resource issues inconjunction with suppliers.

5. Social fairness

For the Basic level, companies should conduct astreamlined self-audit with regard to corporate socialresponsibility issues, and develop a management planbased on the assessment results. For higher levels, afull social responsibility self-audit must be performed,as well as evaluation of the effects on the improve-ments of social issues within the enterprise and in itssupply chain, and completion of a facility-level audit bya third party organization.

14

Level of certification and certified products worldwide

The Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Products Program assigns the following fivelevels to products in accordance with the number of standard items they complywith:

1. Basic

The Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Basic product is100% characterized by its generic materials (e.g., alu-minum, polyethylene, steel, etc.) and/or product cat-egories and names (e.g., coatings). Most basiccertified products currently consist of building materi-als, including flooring, bricks, roofing materials, andartificial turf.

2. Bronze

The certification program added bronze level in 2013,and few companies have as yet certified for thisgrade. This level basically requires assessment of75% of constituent materials and the drafting of a re-newable energy use strategy. Most bronze certifiedproducts are interior design products and furniture,primarily carpets.

3. Silver

Silver is currently the most common certification level,and chiefly requires assessment of 95% of con-stituent materials, and use of 5% renewable energyand 5% carbon offsets. The largest proportion of sil-ver certified products consist of interior design prod-ucts and furniture including carpet, flooring, chairs,cabinets, and tables.

4. Gold

Gold level chiefly requires assessment of 100% ofconstituent materials, elimination or replacement ofall toxic substances, and use of 50% renewable en-ergy and 50% carbon offsets. The largest portion ofGold certified products currently consist of personalcare products, including shampoo, hair conditioner,and skin care products.

15

5. Platinum

Platinum is the highest grade, and indicates an ide-ally designed C2C product. Products with thisgrade may not have any constituent materials thatmust be disposed of; 100% of the constituent ma-terials must be assessed, and more than 100% re-newable energy and carbon offsets must be used.Although no product made by any company hasachieved compliance with the requirements for thisgrade of certification yet, many companies arestriving to attain this goal, and are consequentlycontinuing to improve their product design and pro-duction processes.

c○ 2013 C2CPII

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM

is a certification mark li-censed by the Cradle toCradle Products InnovationInstitute.

16

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Silver product - carpet

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Silver product – desk

� Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Goldproduct - laundry soap

� Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Goldproduct - personal & home care

17

Cradle to CradleＲ○ achievements in Taiwan

The Taiwan EPA has recently been activelypromoting C2C

Taiwan C2C platform

1. The first C2C master plan in Asia for six themes: agriculture, industry, trans-portation, building, energy, and urban planning, was proposed and executedto enable Taiwan to step forward to the vision of becoming a C2CI (Cradle toCradle Island).

2. The Taiwan C2C information platform was established for sharing C2C knowl-edge, encouraging good C2C practices, stimulating C2C involvement amongthe public and in the corporate world, and connecting with C2C communitiesworldwide.

3. Taiwan C2C Strategic Alliance was founded in 2012 by prominent industries,governments, academics, research institutes and NGOs in order to align Tai-wan with international C2C development trends, to implement the policy ofsustainable use of resources, and to improve the competitiveness of Tai-wanese industries.

4. To date, nine domestic products have been assisted by the Taiwan EPA inreceiving C2C product design advice; three of these have been awardedC2C product certification.

5. C2C promotion workshop was held by Taiwan C2C Strategic Alliance on Sep-tember 13th 2013. The event featured the sharing of practical experiencesin C2C promotion as well as the successful C2C case stories by C2C expertsand by those companies assisted in C2C projects by the Taiwan EPA.

18

Inaugural meeting of Taiwan C2C StrategicAlliance

2013 Mid-Year Conference of Taiwan C2CStrategic Alliance

2013 Mid-Year Conference of Taiwan C2CStrategic Alliance

2013 C2C promotion workshop

2013 C2C promotion workshop

2013 Year-end Conference of Taiwan C2CStrategic Alliance

2 3

4

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

5

1

19

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM productsin Taiwan

Recycling resources to achieve zero waste &helping companies with cost reduction

●Gray eco blanket (Silver level)

Da Ai Technology's gray eco blan-ket is Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM

at Silver level, and is an environ-mentally-friendly blanket producedfrom 100 % recycled PET plasticbottles. The material is soft, warm,comfortable and easy to wash.While drying quickly, it does notfade when washed in water.

●Taifoam Nature natural yoga mat material (Basic level)

Taifoam Nature, a brand new yogamat material developed by the SJGroup, is a type of foam rubberproduced using natural materials.The use of rice husks instead ofconventional fillers not onlylessens the odor of natural rubberand reduces product weight, butalso makes good use of agricul-tural waste. Because it is made en-tirely from natural materials,Taifoam Nature is recyclable andalso biodegradable.

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Basic product -Taifoam Nature

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM

Silver product - Gray eco blanket

20

●Goji Berry Volumizing Shampoo (Basic level)

Hair O'right Goji Berry Volumizing Shampoo usesmore than 96% natural substances. The prod-uct's certified organic goji berry extract and foam-ing agent which contains high levels ofantioxidants can neutralize scalp oil andstrengthens hair roots. The shampoo is free ofhormones, benzoic acid preservatives, or con-ventional shampoo additives such as formalde-hyde.

●PP fabric (ML-P3094F) (Silver level)

Minlan’s PP fabric (ML-P3094F) is a fully recyclablematerial, this fabric is eco-friendly, lightness, quick-drying, water resistance, chemicals & stains resist-ance, perfect colorfastness and good abrasion(pilling) resistance, this fabric made in a low energyconsumption and less environmental pollution pro-duction process, also ensure customers' safety andcomfort by excellent heat insulation and no smelldue to bacteriostatic properties.

●Stone paper (Silver level)

The most important feature of Taiwan LungMeng Technology’s stone paper is that it doesnot require the cutting down of trees. Rock (in-organic minerals) and HDPE are used insteadof wood pulp, and the resulting paper has ex-cellent characteristics, such as being waterproof,abrasion-resistant, and easy to fold. Finally,

stone paper can be recycled with HDPE plastic.

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM-

Basic product - Goji BerryVolumizing Shampoo

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM-

Silver product - PP fabricML-P3094F

Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM

Silver product - Stone paper

21

"5R" is the key to zero-waste resource recycling

To achieve the goal of zero-waste resource recycling, the Taiwan EPA has beenactively promoting 5R: Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, Energy Recovery, andLand Reclamation.

Conclusion

Policy tool of sustainable use of resources - 5R

"Redesign" is the new vigor and dynamism topromote 5R

Waste management needs to begin at the source, with careful selec-tion of raw materials that takes into account their suitability for recy-cling, ensuring that products are either degradable or can be recycledand reused. Redesign can imbue waste management in Taiwan withnew vigor and dynamism, thereby realizing the vision of zero wasteresource recycling.

Policy tool of sustainable use of resources - 5R + Redesign

22

23

Memo

24

Memo

25

Memo

Issued in January 2014

Publisher Stephen Shu-Hung SHEN

Issued by Environmental Protection Administration,Executive Yuan, Taiwan

Planned by Tien-Chi WU

Editor-in-chief Ying-Ying LAI

Executive editor Harvey HOUNG and Chi-Ming CHIU

Design editors Yi-Hua LEE, Hong-Yuan LEE, Yu-ChiehCHOU and Ying-Chen CHUEH

Design printing Cambridge Engineering Consultants, INC EPEA Internationale UmweltforschungGmbH Taiwan BranchZheng He Design Printing Co., Ltd.

＊The paper used in this brochure is Stone paper which is Cradleto Cradle CertifiedCM at Silver level.