Renewable Energy and Carbon Management
The goal of the renewable energy and carbon management category is to encourage the use of more renewable energy than is required to manufacture the product, and to manage greenhouse gas emissions. The sun allows us to use today's energy without having to put future generations at risk. The direct capture of solar energy is one possibility for renewable energy; wind and biogas are also viable.

Electricity generation can be one of the largest environmental impacts associated with an organization's operations. Until renewable power is available everywhere, purchasing green power is an effective way to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use.

The Basic level requirement for this category is to quantify purchased energy and on-site emissions attributable to the final manufacturing stage(s) of the product. At the Bronze level, a plan to use renewable energy and manage emissions must be developed. At the Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels, increasing percentages of production energy must be displaced with renewable energy or other management strategies as outlined in the standard. At the Platinum level, a surplus of renewable energy is being generated for the final manufacture of the product and the applicant has begun to address the embodied energy of the product from back through the supply chain.

Water Stewardship
Changing the way companies interact with water requires a fundamental shift in thinking about a resource that has traditionally been viewed as cheap and plentiful. The overall goal of this category is to move companies to responsible water stewardship and eventually to production that positively impacts water resources. Companies begin at the Basic level demonstrating regulatory compliance with their effluent permit and developing a plan to manage any local or business specific water issues. At the Bronze level, a facility water audit is conducted. At the Silver and Gold levels, a manufacturer will either optimize their product-related process chemicals in effluent (for wet manufacturing facilities) or work with their supply chain to identify and manage water related concerns (for dry manufacturing facilities). A product that has achieved Platinum level is produced in such a way that water leaving the production facility meets drinking water standards.

Social Fairness
The Social Fairness category ensures that progress is made towards sustaining business operations that protect the value chain and contribute to all stakeholder interests including employees, customers, community members, and the environment. After conducting a social responsibility audit, companies are required to explore supply chain social issues, and engage in social projects with employees and in their communities. At the Basic level, companies seeking certification must conduct a streamlined self-audit of social issues affecting their business, and develop a management plan to address any potential issues. As the product moves to higher certification levels, a more comprehensive self-audit is completed, and measures are taken towards addressing issue and industry-specific social concerns internally and through the supply chain. At the Platinum level, product manufacturers have undergone a third party, facility level social audit often against an internationally recognized social responsibility standard, such as the SA8000 standard or B-Corp program.

The Process

The actual process of Cradle to Cradle certification can be broken down into three stages—define, assess, and optimize. The inventory of parameters described above helps the manufacture understand and uncover the information needed to then analyze and assess their operations. A time-consuming, intensive process in itself, the inventory effort can require proprietary information that manufacturers or their suppliers are reluctant to cite. But unlike the tools and rating systems that rely on manufacturers to self-disclose known ingredients, Cradle to Cradle Certified uses independent, accredited assessors to collect formulations and proprietary ingredients throughout the entire supply chain that would not otherwise be accessible without signed non-disclosure agreements. Recognizing the existence of proprietary formulations in the inventory process, Cradle to Cradle Certified does not make full disclosure to the public a requirement but does encourage manufacturers to consider voluntary disclosure.

Throughout the building community, the call for transparency is becoming more and more apparent. Participation in such open programs is an important part of the LEED and Living Building Challenge certifications, and manufacturers that provide ingredient disclosure of their products are being given preferential consideration by some architectural firms. Cradle to Cradle Certified goes beyond knowledge of ingredients and provides a useful reference for material health and other attributes. This multi-attribute approach is valued by leading property owners.