Shaw Industries Group is saying “Hasta la vista” to wasteful product by helping to usher in the first non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Cradle to Cradle design among product manufacturers. Representatives from the Dalton, Ga.-based carpet and flooring manufacturer met at the Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California, on May 20, along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and architect, designer, and co-developer of the Cradle to Cradle framework William McDonough, to help launch the Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII), which will aim to advance the research, design, and economics of green product production.
According to Shaw CEO Vance Bell, who spoke at the event, Shaw was one of the early adopters of Cradle to Cradle. “Over 10 years ago, Shaw’s EcoWorx carpet tile was the first product in the flooring industry designed according to Cradle to Cradle principles. With the encouragement and assistance of Bill McDonough, our commitment to the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy has evolved to fully embrace the concepts of reverse engineering, elimination of waste, safe chemistries, and closed loop technical nutrients,” he says in a statement.
GPII advocates itself as a resource for those looking to achieve greater levels of environmental health and safety. Leaders from academia, the NGO environmental community, government, and the A&D industry will work with the organization to establish the Cradle to Cradle network certification, a metrics and rating system for evaluating the sustainability of products.
“California has the most comprehensive Green Chemistry program in the world, and our leadership in ensuring the products we use every day are safe for our families and environment has resulted in the Green Products Innovation Institute choosing to headquarter here in California,” says Governor Schwarzenegger, in a statement. “This Institute will revolutionize the way we design products and serve as a benchmark for those who aspire to set new standards of environmental and human health and safety for all products sold in California.”
In agreement, McDonough adds, “California is the perfect birthplace for this Institute, but ultimately its reach is global. Even before Michael (Braungart) and I wrote Cradle to Cradle in 2002, we wished and worked for a safer, healthier world for all children of all species…It is here now, thanks to Governor Schwarzenegger, the donors and supporters of the Green Products Innovation Institute, and the people of California.”
GGPI is also supported by Brad Pitt, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Terry Tamminen.
– Contract Magazine
