A circular economy standard: the origins, method and business applications of the Cradle to Cradle Certified certification

Abstract

The circular economy has gained considerable traction lately within the corporate and academic world as a new approach for addressing economic, business and environmental issues. This concept aims to reduce and eliminate waste or the wasting of resources, as well as to optimize and to minimize resource use during the production and consumption phases. For companies which intend to become circular it is crucial to apply internationally accepted standards which provide credible and comparable data on their circular performance. One of these circular standards is the Cradle to Cradle Certified (C2CC) certification, a global label for products that are safe for nature and people, circular and responsibly made. In my paper I discuss the origins, methodologies and the main features of this standard and I also showcase my primary empirical research I did with companies having one or more C2CC product certification(s).