1 - Cradle to Cradle: Creative and Effective Urbanism
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
Hans-Jürgen Commerell
Hans-Jürgen Commerell, Director of ANCB The Metropolitan Laboratory began the evening with an introduction of the Design and Politics Discussion Series and described it as an investigation of the relationship between politics, governance and design-based urban practice. He concluded with the hopeful observation that in an era when all urgent issues facing cities have a spatial aspect more effective strategies for planning and design can result from engagement in both directions between design and politics.
PODIUM PRESENTATIONS
Henk Ovink
Henk Ovink began with a brief introduction to his aims for the discussion series and explained that the breadth of the participants’ engagement as outlined in their opening statements would establish the parameters for the discussion.
Monika Griefahn
Monika Griefahn, former Minister of the Environment in Lower-Saxony, Co-founder of Greenpeace Germany and Coordinator of the Cradle to Cradle® [C2C] Festival began with a description of her 30+ year experience in governance during which she attempted something similar to the C2C programme. As an example she described how she organised a project with HP to make a computer from one material that could be broken down in a few seconds but also explained that this was not in the end as effective as it could have been because the related political climate wasn’t there – there was no policy governing the return and recycling of electronic devices. She continued with the hopeful observation that there is now much greater awareness of the need to avoid waste. As an example of this cultural revolution she cited the fact that even if only ten companies have as of yet received C2C certification there are 600+ other companies working towards C2C goals. She urged companies not to wait for coercive or incentivising government policy to reinvent their products and processes along C2C lines. She emphasised the diversity of approaches on display in the exhibition and also urged governments – as significant consumers – to change their procurement directives to help accelerate innovation. She concluded with the observation that the C2C goal is not to reduce negative footprints but through design to achieve new positive footprints – to design for positive cooperation between humanity and nature.
Peter Rehwinkel
Peter Rehwinkel, Mayor of City of Groningen began his presentation with a brief introduction to Groningen – its size, regional context, population demographic, and its economic and educational profile. He described the city’s ambition to achieve front-runner status in the Netherlands and the EU regarding sustainability. He asserted his belief that government should lead, not follow and that government should create preconditions for citizens to find good alternatives. As examples of how government can help, he cited how government can provide good public transport relative to facilities, provide recycling facilities, and can try to motivate citizens and companies to use local energy sources. He concluded with a summary of Groningen’s ambitions under three headings: space [i.e. efforts to achieve a compact city], traffic [i.e. efforts to make public transport cheap, efficient and pleasant enough to compete with car transport] and energy [i.e. efforts to strengthen the local knowledge economy in terms of sustainable energy and establish an energy academy with support from central government].
Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart
Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, Founder of the Cradle to Cradle® design concept and Director of the Environment Protection Institute EPEA in Hamburg began with a discussion of Royal Mosa Tiles as the tenth company to achieve C2C certification. He explained that it demands that the whole company must adhere to C2C principles, not just a single product or process – C2C certification involves a roadmap for the transformation of an entire company. He urged consumers to buy from companies to aid their progress towards positive change. As a practical example of this type of change he explained that under C2C principles the water that comes out of the company will be cleaner than that which goes in – that companies must aspire to have a beneficial, not just less bad, impact. He also explained that certification requires a commitment to openness and transparency regarding progress towards C2C goals through a dedicated internet interface.
He continued to describe the impact that individuals have had and are having towards significant C2C initiatives and he credited individuals with providing the energy to bring things forward. Regarding the relevance of C2C principles for urban design he noted that C2C celebrates designers. He asserted that built environment design professionals must make buildings like trees and cities like forests – e.g. carbon positive and effectively cleaning water – but stressed that this needs new products, design innovation, new plans. He concluded with the statement that by following C2C principles we can get to a point where humanity can celebrate our positive global footprint rather than try to mitigate our negative effect.
Rinus van den Berg
Rinus van den Berg, Head of Design at the DSM Material Science Centre in Maastricht began with a description of his educational and professional background in architecture and product design and explained his engagement with C2C as having a focus on housing problems in the developing world. He then outlined the complex network of systems and processes through which raw materials become products. He emphasised that consumers are a necessary value-adding element in the supply chain and noted that the point at which amorphous material – through design – becomes shape is also critical and can be described as the ‘real’ cradle, the interface between matter and the market. He also described how once products leave the shop and are dispersed all over the world, control is lost and C2C represents an attempt to bring order and control to this chaos. He concluded with several summary statements: design is the interface between matter and the market; the start of the design process is the ‘real’ cradle; architecture creates the nest for consumption; we must make ‘use’ an integral part of the value chain. And he posed two critical questions for the discussion: can sustainable consumption create sustainable architecture, and can sustainable architecture lead to sustainable consumption?
Arthur Thomaes
Arthur Thomaes, CEO of Royal Mosa Tiles in Maastricht began his presentation with the view that while the product designer starts from the detail it is critical to have a comprehensive view of product development and production. He explained that C2C certification represents the culmination of a long process of initiatives undertaken by Royal Mosa. He described the company’s ambition to make beautiful, functional things in a sustainable way – using natural materials, new recipes, new products that can be recycled at the end of their life cycle, and an aspiration to become a net energy supplier and to close water loops in the production process. He also noted that recycling poses a problem for tiles as they are fixed to buildings and this necessitates the development of C2C buildings for them to be installed in. And he stressed the need for cooperation in the chain of making urban areas and architecture to take positive steps towards C2C goals. To this end he cited as an example how Royal Mosa has worked to form new alliances in the Park2020 project near Amsterdam in order to transform the whole chain towards new solutions for urban areas. He also stressed that products and buildings and urban areas must be beautiful for sustainability to be effective because in the end the market decides. He concluded with the assertion that a potential barrier to the wider application of C2C principles is the difficulty involved in changing the focus from initial capital investment costs and short-term profit towards a consideration of lifetime costs.
DISCUSSION SUMMARY
There were four primary threads to the discussions that followed the podium presentations:
- regarding the role of individuals in transformational change it was agreed that it is often the energy of these catalysts that is driving C2C initiatives but also that this needs to generate a critical mass of support to effect organisational change
- regarding rules and regulations it was agreed that these were less important than positive goals generated through personal or corporate initiative and that people and companies must not wait for government to mandate a requirement for change
- regarding the power of the market it was agreed that movement towards change can come from an educated consumer constituency demanding better products but also through government procurement policies focused on sustainability and through companies establishing alliances and developing comprehensive sustainability initiatives
- regarding C2C principles in the context of architecture it was agreed that the built environment provides some positive examples of sustainability but that architects and other professionals need to develop a new, more comprehensive concepts for design and beauty that include more than just aesthetic principles
The discussion began with the assertion from Monika Griefahn that while a lot of people apathetic change is possible if individuals put in the necessary energy and she cited the example of the EU-wide effect of the Belgian Environment Minister’s endorsement of C2C principles.
Henk Ovink acknowledged that individuals are important but asked how collective institutions and organisations can adapt. Monika Griefahn expressed the opinion that a 5% critical mass can effect collective change. Rinus van den Berg stressed the need to have a flat organisation and noted the irony that it is this type of structure that often demonstrates the greatest respect for natural hierarchies – a principle critical to C2C.
Michael Braungart then asserted that designers need to take a more fundamental role than just beautification and stressed the urgency for people to take real, meaningful responsibility now.
Peter Rehwinkel stressed the need for government to make connections – with C2C, with FairTrade, etc. – and not to make critical issues into political issues. Monika Griefahn noted that it is also a question of public support and asserted that politicians are only a mirror of the wider public and that they will respond if the public takes the initiative. She suggested that it could help to get creative people into responsible political positions.
Henk Ovink then asked about the role of rules and regulations in how government can lead in a process towards change. Rinus van den Berg suggested that these are important but also that control over them is critical. Michael Braungart then asserted that rules and regulations are a sign of design failure. He stressed that design needs long-term goals, not regulations – goals can have inspirational force. Henk Ovink then asked what government can do to positively support goals. Michael Braungart suggested that government could say that in five years that we are only going to buy C2C products. He urged people and companies not to wait for regulations and warned that if they do they’ll wait forever. Peter Rehwinkel agreed with the need to set long-term goals and cited Groningen’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2025. Michael Braungart seized on this as a mistake and explained that the only way to be carbon neutral is not to exist, that trees aren’t carbon neutral, and characterised that carbon neutrality represents ‘guilt management.’ He stressed the C2C supports positive goals – e.g. to become carbon positive.
Henk Ovink then asked Arthur Thomaes what industry wants from government. He responded that government can set long-term goals but in the end the market will decide. He agreed that individuals can make a difference but stressed that alliances are critical – he cited the example of the Arab Spring. Peter Rehwinkel asserted that government needs to listen to the market and to industry and cited the example of calls to reduce the high cost of certifying manufactured products for sale. Arthur Thomaes suggested that the government is also a significant consumer in the market and can take a leading role through orienting its procurement processes towards C2C products.
Rinus van den Berg then stressed the need to educate the market so it will demand better. Arthur Thomaes agreed and suggested that the market has the power to force companies to make positive changes. But Monika Griefahn cautioned that this is a complex process given that the market doesn’t always pay the whole cost for unsustainable or unhealthy products – e.g. some medical effects are socialised through the cost of public health care.
Peter Rehwinkel then asked Arthur Thomaes how Royal Mosa uses C2C in its marketing materials. He responded with the explanation that C2C will have an increasing presence in the company’s communications as they wanted to make steps first rather than publicising goals. He also suggested that the increased profits resulting from C2C-based marketing will be used to further improve the company’s sustainability.
Henk Ovink asked what is special about C2C principles in the context of architecture. Monika Griefahn asserted that architects generally don’t have the concept that architecture should not only be designed to look good but also needs to take a more comprehensive view. She noted that 80% of energy is used in houses and towns and suggested that architecture can have positive effects such as promoting biodiversity. Peter Rehwinkel cited the example of a new Groningen government building that is intended to be used for housing after 20 years. Rinus van den Berg called for a more comprehensive view of design and beauty. He expressed his conviction that in developing countries the loop between products and architecture can be closed through consumer waste providing a significant input into the building of houses. Arthur Thomaes asserted that in the building process the architect has central role as a person who develops something out of nothing though he or she also requires the investor and the supplier of materials.
As the discussion was opened to include the members of the audience it was suggested that design needs to set ambitious goals. Henk Ovink asked who should set these goals and it was suggested that the client sets the brief and the aspirations for architectural projects but Michael Braungart asserted that this view makes things too complicated and gives excuses for inaction. He stressed that C2C can be a creator of alliances and that C2C companies can strengthen each other and then attract the public without waiting for government.
Rinus van den Berg then expressed his conviction that in the end C2C is always the best in terms of real costs but a member of the audience asked if the discussion was focussed too much on consumption and suggested that perhaps it is best to re-use existing buildings rather than building new ones. Michael Braungart responded that C2C is not first about durability or longevity because these can in the future lead to ‘design tyranny.’ He suggested that old buildings are combinations of toxic waste and that it is often best to tear them down and start again according to better principles.
Henk Ovink then thanked the participants and brought the discussion to a close.
