Cradle to Cradle gives the real estate industry more then only sustainability.

Cradle to Cradle (C2C) has become a popular concept in Europe. It is often cited as the solution to the ecological crisis that we face as humanity. The economic benefits of Cradle to Cradle for the real estate industry can be noticed on two sides.

Unilaterally rising oil prices and the rising prices of properties makes it increasingly more
attractive to build at a durable and energy efficient way, this are principles of Cradle to Cradle. On the other hand the C2C principle creates more creative and innovative companies, with the added advantage of creating quality employment.

Philosophy

C2C has the philosophy that all used materials at the end of their lifetime will not only biodegradable or recyclable, but the materials can be also used in another products without loss of quality. So the thought behind C2C is that all the materials can be “upcycled” or returned to nature. The point is that a material that already has been used at the end can be used in another product and that the material finally will be absorbed by nature. This creates an endless cycle.

In recycling “downcycling” of a product the products loses its original value. This in other words, a piece of the product value is lost. The product comes back as a less a product than it originally was. This is in contrasts with the C2C principles, these principles try to improve product through recycling, or as it is called: “upcycling”. The products must at least recover their original values.

The real estate market has to respond on this vision. The built environment is one of the spearheads of C2C. Beside of this other spearheads for C2C are efficient building, sustainable energy, sustainable materials and buildings that add quality to the environment and neighborhoods where it is pleasant to live.

"Waste is food" said founder William Mc Donough. "Cradle to Cradle aims closed technical or biological systems to create materials, energy, water and waste. This can be applies for the realization, for the use and eventual demolition of a building. During the realization of a building according to the C2C principles, will be sought wherever possible to use natural materials, natural light, an optimal climate control and that the building promotes optimum productivity of its users.

The good thing about C2C is that it encourages people to think fundamentally different between the relationship of the economy, environment and the society. The world can still put major steps toward sustainability and the real estate industry can give the example to the rest of the world.

Economics

The use of a C2C model often lowers the financial cost of systems. For example, in the redesign of the Ford River Rouge Complex, the planting of native grasses on assembly plant roofs retains and cleanses rain water. It also moderates the internal temperature of the building in order to save energy. The roof is part of an $18 million rainwater treatment system designed to clean 20 billion gallons (76,000,000 m³) of rainwater annually. This saved Ford $50 million that would otherwise have been spent on mechanical treatment facilities. If products are designed according to C2C design principles, they can be manufactured and sold for less than alternative designs. They eliminate the need for waste disposal such as landfills.