Since 2005, the Cradle-to-Cradle certification logo has been a trustworthy seal of green approval on goods, ensuring buyers that the product they were considering purchasing was eco-friendly in every stage of its existence. Up until now, however, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC, the environmental consulting and design firm behind Cradle-to-Cradle certifications) has measured end-products only, sizing up each individual good as presented. Now MBDC will be certifying ingredients, too, in hopes of streamlining the eco-focused design process for companies and making it easier for manufacturers to create certifiably green products.

Cradle-to-Cradle certification came about following the release of the book Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things, written by MBDC’s founders, and can be found on a range of goods (with many office elements featured). The new ingredient certification will look at a couple facets of an ingredient: Its sustainability for human and environmental health and its sustainability or compostability, and before an ingredient is given the certification, it will have to meet at least the “Gold” level of Cradle-to-Cradle criteria (out of Basic, Silver, Gold and Platinum) for material health and material reutilization. All manufacturers that make chemicals, materials or substances to be used in end-products will be eligible for the program–though they’ll have to apply on their own, and analysis will be completed by MBDC’s in-house team of scientists and project managers.

The goal of the new ingredient certification is to inform companies on the environmental issues of the ingredients they put into their final products, so that it will be easier to create eco-friendly wares and faster to receive certification. So far no ingredients have completed certification, but you can expect the ingredients (and their certifications) to be listed on the Crade-to-Cradle site soon. In the meantime use the site for a list of products that have been analyzed and their ratings.

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