The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a non-profit organization, educates and empowers manufacturers of consumer products to become a positive force for society and the environment, helping to bring about a new industrial revolution.
The Institute administers the publicly available Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard which provides designers and manufacturers with criteria and requirements for continually improving what products are made of and how they are made.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified™ mark provides consumers, regulators, employees, and industry peers with a clear, visible, and tangible validation of a manufacturer’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and to their communities.
The continual improvement quality standard was gifted to the Institute by William McDonough and Michael Braungart (Crade to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, The Upcycle) after more than 20 years of private development with some of the world’s leading brands.
The Institute is governed by an independent board of directors and is led by Lewis Perkins. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in Amsterdam and Venlo, the Netherlands. Bridge funding for the Institute’s work is provided by foundations and individuals who share common values and hope for the future. Self-sustaining revenues will result from training programs and certification and licensing fees.