Cradle to Cradle – How to Avoid Green Washing

We all understand the benefits of recycling. It reduces strain on natural resources, decreases landfill and reduces greenhouse emissions…or does it?
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When you look closely and the processes and energy consumption of many recycling processes, recycling doesn’t always make sense. Some process involves so much extra energy consumption; to produce such low-grade products they don’t always make sense. That is not to say that recycling and recyclable products are not a good idea, they are. In fact it’s essential that we develop processes with real outcomes, not just more ‘green washing’.
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To do this requires a paradigm shift, we need to stop thinking of ‘down cycling’ and start thinking of a near infinite cycle of recycling products to the same standard. In short, say goodbye to ‘cradle to grave’ and start thinking ‘cradle to cradle’. ‘Cradle to Cradle’ is Cradle to Cradle Design is a biomimetic approach to the design of systems. It models human industry on nature’s processes in which materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms.
Put simply, it is a holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient but essentially waste free.
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The model in its broadest sense is not limited to industrial design and manufacturing it can be applied to many different aspects of human civilisation such as urban environments, buildings, economics and social systems.
One such example of Cradle to Cradle Design in action is the Gilkon Premium E3 Whiteboards. Gilkon Premium E3 Whiteboards are 99.9% recyclable.