Mr McDonough, a US architect, and Mr Braungart, a German chemist, head McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, an environmental consultancy based in Charlottesville, Virginia, which measures the ‘environmental footprint’ of a product’s supply chain. Circular Sustainable Supply Chain Image via https://www.cerasis.com Anyone associated with a business whose principal asset is intellectual property understands why McDonough and Braungart would closely guard their methodology. We’ll just have to wait and see.” [Thoughts on P&G’s Supplier Sustainability Scorecard]. ‘It seems to me that cradle-to-cradle is a “black box” where it’s difficult to look inside,’ he told the Financial Times recently. This small book gives a clear explanation of terms like eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness, with the five guiding principles that Nike uses in this respect. Critics say that one reason the number is so small is the complexity and cost of subjecting products to such a large degree of analysis.”. But will it work? Ray Anderson, chairman of Interface, the US carpet maker and a man with a reputation for environmentally aware thinking, has also been vocal in questioning the MBDC approach as complicated as well as over-secretive and enclosed. ‘Zero waste’ cradle-to-grave strategies emphasize volume minimization, reduced … Tickets between FREE - … Today, almost 90% of the products we manufacture are Cradle to Cradle Certified™ having been assessed for material health, product circularity, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness. At a most basic level, MBDC offers a variant on the idea of ‘ecological labels’ – the various systems for assessing the environmental impact of the estimated 1bn types of manufactured products created last year. Segment your supply chain based on three dimensions: product/service, customers, and delivery mechanism. Today, logistics providers are expected to adopt a ‘cradle to grave’ approach to customer service. Michael Braungart expects that, considering the individual-minded approach of the west, the cycle-oriented theory will sooner become popular in Asia rather than in Europe. Mr Braungart is collaborating with the company to cut the number of ‘bad’ chemicals. On its website, the company asserts: “We have found that two relatively small groups exist on the ends of a decision-making spectrum. ... to plot the length of their tail every two years to understand if they are making progress on managing products from cradle to grave. This includes the McDonough/Braungart approach and another operated by TÜV Rhineland, a German technical services provider. Supply chain-relevant social issues are fully investigated and a positive impact strategy is developed. Books and journals Case studies Expert Briefings Open Access. We work with our customers, and even their customers, to produce new packages and products that build economic, environmental and social capital. Image via Flickr by MDGovpics. Most are not…. A “cradle to grave” approach to spend management at Thames Valley Police (TVP) has put the force on course for £3.4m savings by April 2021. How to Manage a Cradle-to-Grave Supply Chain. Manufacturers have experienced institutional pressures in the form of market and regulatory demands to conform to the standards dictated by environmental regulations. 1 Supply Chain Executive in Europe, The path to Integrated Business Planning (IBP), Raw material scarcity and its impact on business, The best Movies and TV Series about supply chains. Our Cradle to Cradle management through manufacturing, reconditioning, reuse and recycling solutions help divert waste from landfills while strengthening relationships within our supply c… The criteria at each level build toward the expectation of eliminating all toxic and unidentified chemicals and becoming nutrients for safe, continuous cycling. Although assessing the environmental impact of a cradle-to-cradle supply chain is worthwhile, it can also be expensive. For a long time,…, Academic research results in the field of supply chain management were often obtained from ideal circumstances with generic conditions. The core of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ product evaluation involves partnering with the product manufacturer on data collection and product evaluation. ‘Cradle-to-the-Grave’ Traceability for the Supply Chain. But at its core are simple, though perhaps revolutionary principles. Enjoy the From Cradle to Cradle – Analysing manufacturing waste and construction for supply chain and business innovation, Hosted online, During 6th of May. But eco-efficient cradle-to-cradle cycles do achieve zero waste. The Supply Chain Tool applies the paradigm of Cradle to Cradle™ (C2C) Design, which models human industry on the integrated processes of nature’s biological metabolism—its productive ecosystems—by developing an equally effective technical metabolism, in which the materials of human industry safely and productively flow. The product contains 500 ingredients: 460 meet his environmental criteria but 40 do not. Strategies focused on achieving ‘zero waste’ do not create sustainable cradle-to-cradle cycles. The overall evaluation process is described in the following steps: MBDC can also provide trainings to staff, supply chain partners, and stakeholders to facilitate internal communications and adoption of Cradle to Cradle strategies. First is the ‘analysis’, whereby companies are expected both to identify all the chemicals in their products and to go as far back as nine stages of the supply chain. Con: Modification Difficulties Cradle-to-cradle supply chains are designed to encompass the entire lifecycle of a product — from input materials to manufacturing processes, to distribution, to promoting reuse and recycling. Each of these segments will vary in terms of process, performance and expectations. The two authors argue that many products may be recycled, but because the next product is often of a lesser quality, the process is really … In order to examine the above objective the format for this paper follows: • A literature review. If you continue using our site you agree to the placing of cookies. A key aspect to this part of the process is the division of the world into what Mr McDonough and Mr Braungart call the ‘technosphere’ – comprising manmade structures and goods – and the ‘biosphere’, comprising the natural environment. Embracing the Cradle-to-Cradle concept requires a redesign of the complete supply chain, where return flows have the same importance as forward flows. What will happen when tradeoffs have to be made? While these labels and others are making strides in the right direction, labeling SSC products is challenged by the complex and large scope of factors. McDonough and Braungart hope that the Institute will help “to create hundreds of other businesses around the world using their method.” Marsh continues: “The idea is to spread the philosophy much faster – and wider – than if the original entrepreneurs kept control of their ideas. The article reports: “Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble joined a growing number of companies to announce Green measurement programs for their suppliers bases with its new Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecard. But, what does it mean? For more information, please contact: Howell Fendley, Director of Business Development To make our procurement processes even more sustainable, we have been working ever more closely with our suppliers in recent years. To receive certification, products are assessed for environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. The non-profit organization to which they donated their methodology is called the Green Products Innovation Institute, which is based in San Francisco. And it might take more time than is typical to establish a reliable supply chain. The Institute administers a rigorous, third-party product certification program, according to our quality policy. This is his fifth year of studying demand processes. Just one variation in a technical or biological nutrient supplier’s method can result in a disturbance in the C2C plan. ‘Cradle-to-the-Grave’ Traceability for the Supply Chain. The collaboration with our supplier Vosta LMG (Vosta) for re-using pickpoints is a fine example. Until now, their methods have been a closely guarded secret.”. To completely adopt a cradle to cradle model, a company must look at their entire supply chain to ensure that their materials are being produced ethically and with cradle to cradle in mind. In short waste = food. Marsh writes: “It is hardly the most orthodox route to business success. Our Cradle to Cradle management through manufacturing, reconditioning, reuse and recycling solutions help divert waste from landfills while strengthening relationships within our supply chain. Tickets between FREE - … Segment your supply chain. Commenting on P&G’s initiative, Adrian Gonzalez, a supply chain analyst wrote: “There is additional work required for suppliers, and it is only going to get worse once other large manufacturers and retailers jump on the bandwagon and create their own sustainability scorecards, even if they are all based on ‘standards.’ Just look at the mess we’re in with so-called EDI standards for purchase orders and other business transactions. Architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart are now introducing the variant ‘cradle to cradle’. The procurement team at TVP advises stakeholders on specifications and market engagement, manages that engagement on their behalf, awards contracts, and then monitors and manages suppliers to ensure performance is in line with the contract. ... Supply chain-relevant social issues are fully investigated and a positive impact strategy is developed. A Google search of the term delivers more than 30 million results. Cradle to Cradle philosophy and articulate the benefits of the strategies and achievements. After determining the ‘environmental footprint’ of the supply chain, Mr Braungart says the goal is ‘to reduce the number of chemicals that are bad … to a minimum, even though we accept that not in all cases can the figure be reduced to zero’. Map your supply chain. The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and the Anglo-Dutch EMG CSR Consultancy today announced a new partnership that is set to increase awareness and success of the Cradle to Cradle Certified CM Products Program as the ultimate pathway for companies to make a real social and environmental impact, while simultaneously boosting their business bottom line. Cradle-to-cradle is a specific kind of cradle-to-grave assessment, where the end-of-life disposal step for the product is a recycling process. 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