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Cradle to Cradle pioneer Braungart to speak at ISSA/INTERCLEAN
6th of March 2012
A highlight of the ISSA/INTERCLEAN exhibition from May 8-11 will be the presentation of this year's Amsterdam Innovation Award, on the opening day of the show. Keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Prof Dr Michael Braungart, pioneer of the Cradle to Cradle concept of design.
Cradle to Cradle is a design concept based on nature - as in nature, there is no such thing as waste. There are three basic principles:
• Everything is designed to be a nutrient of something else
• Everything is produced by renewable energy from current solar income
• Everything contributes to diversity, whether it's conceptual, cultural or biological.
The ultimate aim of Cradle to Cradle is to improve the quality of products so they pose no health risk to anyone coming into contact with them; and are of both economic and ecological benefit.
Braungart is a German chemist who became involved with the environmental organisation Greenpeace in the 1980s. He founded the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), based in Hamburg, in 1988 and through that institute he has implemented the principles of Cradle to Cradle in companies around the world.
Braungart believes the cleaning sector has a vital role to play in taking the Cradle to Cradle concept forward and the fact it is gaining momentum globally makes cleaning far more relevant. He will address cleaning professionals directly at the Innovation Award ceremony about how Cradle to Cradle can impact on their businesses, and the benefits it brings.
• Read ECJ's exclusive interview with Braungart in the April/May edition.
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