The Cradle ConneXion

This winter, George Beylerian, the founder of Material ConneXion and William McDonough and Michael Braungart, the environmental gurus behind the consulting and design firm MBDC (as well as the authors of Cradle to Cradle – Remaking the Way We Make Things) announced a far-reaching collaboration.

Now Material ConneXion, a well-known source of new and innovative materials used by designers and architects, with offices in New York, Milan, Cologne, and Bangkok, has added the first six Cradle to Cradle Assessed and Certified materials to their extensive online database (see images below). Forty new materials are introduced through jury selection into the Material ConneXion library every month and now all Cradle to Cradle Certified materials will be accepted into the collection.

This collaborative effort does not simply end at the library. To help promote the importance of good product design and the use of ecologically-sensitive materials by interior designers and architects, the new alliance will be offering workshops and services such as help in choosing the right materials and ways of identifying the most sensitive production process that can achieve Cradle to Cradle Certification.

The two entities, along with Braungart’s Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), known since 1987 for its interdisciplinary teams that address the triple bottom line, seem like the perfect eco-trifecta to spread the gospel of sustainable materials, products, and production processes. We hope that companies–both large and small–will start to take advantage of these pooled resources, as well as other offerings by other green-friendly business ventures to examine their global impact.

Nanogel® Aerogel – Silver certification

TimberSIL® – Silver certification

180 Walls™ – Silver certification

TerraSkin® – Silver certification

Classic Wool Flannel – Basic certification

Hycrete® Concrete Additive – Basic certification