LIFE CYCLE
MANAGEMENT
Cradle to Cradle Design
Cradle to Cradle Design
Cradle to Cradle (also called C2C) is a design philosophy inspired by the
natural cycles of birth, death and regeneration in nature
This concept is also know as the Circular Economy
It is linked to design concepts such as Biomimicry, Industrial Ecology, and the
Blue Economy
It is closely linked to James Lovelock’s Gaia principle as it views human
activity as an Ecosystem which includes product creation, death, and waste
The idea is that in the same way as a ‘natural ecosystem’ naturally achieves a
balance between waste and regeneration, so should the ‘technological
ecosystem’ that creates and manages the products we use
The Natural Ecosystem
In nature there is no such thing as
‘waste’
At the end of their lives all animals
and plants decompose under the
actions of microbes to form
nutrient-rich hummus (compost)
This Humus is the dark organic
matter that forms in the soil when
plant and animal matter decays.
The Natural Ecosystem
Humus contains many useful nutrients for
healthy soil, nitrogen being the most
important of all
This is used by plants to provide the
nutrients they need to photosynthesise
and grow
These plants then provide the food for
animals and insects to grow
Thus, there is no such thing as ‘waste’ in
the natural ecosystem, each organism
decomposes (biodegrades) into food and
nutrients for a new generation of plants
and animals
The Natural Ecosystem - Summary
Inthe natural ecosystem there is no
such things as waste
Organic materials are converted by
microbes back into food and
nutrients for the next generation of
plants and animals
ALL material is retained in some
way, nothing is wasted
Thus this is a ‘Closed Loop System’
The ‘Technological’ Ecosystem
Current practice in todays society is for a consumer to buy a product
to fulfil some want or need, and then to dispose of it at the end of its
life
Depending on the materials and the method of disposal this is either
incinerated, landfilled, or, where possible recycled, usually into a
lower grade material due to impurities and contamination in the
waste stream
Thus recycled plastic is ‘lower quality’ than virgin plastic, ‘recycled
paper’ is lower quality than virgin paper
Therefore materials, materials quality, and the energy used to make
these materials are lost with each cycle of waste and consumption
The ‘Technological’ Ecosystem
Cradle to Cradle argues that the technological cycle of products and
materials, manufacture and disposal should also follow a ‘closed loop’
system
This means that there should be no loss of materials, or materials quality
through the consumption/disposal process
i.e. the ‘Technological’ ecosystem (or ‘Technosphere’) should function in
the same way as the biological ecosystem (the Biosphere)
So ‘technological’ waste should provide the raw materials (‘food’) for the
next generation of technological products
By Zhiying.lim - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikim
curid=21083277
Cradle to Cradle
Thetheory proposes that there are two ‘ecosystem’ or
‘spheres’ that any product or service should fall in to:
The technosphere for products that provide a service to the user
The Biosphere for products that are consumed by the user
Each ‘sphere’ is a closed loop – i.e. no net loss of materials
Cradle to Cradle
Cradle to Cradle
Itis also possible for different components or materials
within a product to fit into different ‘spheres’
This still means that overall there is no net loss of materials
but it allows each material to fit into the most suitable
sphere, e.g:
Plastic – does not biodegrade – Technosphere
Wood – cannot be recycled - Biosphere
By Zhiying.lim - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21082299
Implementing Cradle to Cradle
Cradle to Cradle is a notoriously difficult concept to put
into full implementation, for certain products it may be
possible, but for the vast majority of products that we use
today the level of complexity in the materials structure,
and the need for precise, consistent engineering material
properties (e.g. tensile strength) means that this is very
difficult to achieve
However, in each case we are working backwards from the
current paradigm (Paradigm = the established
practice/design)
Would there be more opportunity to do this if we designed
it into the product from the outset?
Example
A shoe is used an an example of how C2C ideas
could inform the design of a product
Upper shoe is made from ‘Technical Nutrients’
Sole is made from ‘Biological Nutrients’
Example
Once the shoe wears out it the user returns it to the manufacturer:
the upper parts (Technical) are reused (or recycled) to make another shoe, i.e.
a new sole is added
The sole (Biological) will be worn and unsuitable for re-use, it is returned to
the natural environment where it becomes food for the next generation of
biological materials
Example
When the shoe is sold it is not sold at the high price that would
represent a complete product, the point of sale is not seen as the
final destination
Rather the buyer pays a lower price that represents the ‘rent’ of the
materials for the duration of their use of the product
The company will reclaim these materials at the end of the product
life and renew then for use in another product
The company is not selling the materials (these are retained as the
are either reclaimed or renewed at EoL), rather it is selling the
manufacture, or processing of the materials into the final product
This is a big change of perception in the way we relate to our
products
Example
The advantage to the consumer is a lower price for the product
The advantage to the manufacturer is an ongoing relationship with
their customer, reduced waste and manufacturing costs, and lower
environmental impact
Further Work
More information on the Cradle to Cradle philosophy is found here:
https://vimeo.com/3237777
Compare and contrast this approach with the concept of ‘Planned
Obsolescence’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence
Related Concepts - Dematerialisation
The idea that the materials intensity of the products we use should be
decreased, e.g.
Products become lighter, and use less materials than before
Using modern, high performance materials to replace bulky, lower quality
materials
A move from product solutions to service solutions
‘Doing more with less’
Related Concepts - Biomimicry
Also known as Biomimetics
The idea that we can seek inspiration for our products and services by looking at how these needs
are met in the natural world e.g.
A solar panel mimics the role of a leaf in providing energy to its host
Velcro mimics the hooks on Bur seeds
The Japanese bullet train mimics the shape of a kingfisher beak to improve aerodynamics
Buildings can be designed with natural temperature control by mimicking the design of termite mounds
There is no waste in nature, the death of one organism provides the food for another
Further Reading
The Blue Economy, Gunter Pauli (2014)
Cradle to Cradle, Michael Braungart, William McDonough, (2002)
Earth, Inc.: Using nature's rules to build sustainable profits. Unruh,
Gregory (2013)
Dematerializing the Economy, Ronald Bailey, (2001)
