The document discusses the Cradle to Cradle Network (C2CN) which brings together 10 European regions to promote sustainability based on Cradle to Cradle principles. The partner regions intend to introduce C2C concepts at a European level and establish the C2CN to share knowledge and best practices. The C2CN will focus on industry, infrastructure development, and governance to demonstrate how C2C can be implemented regionally to create economic opportunities and social well-being in a sustainable way. Updates are provided on specific C2C projects and policies happening in the partner regions.

1. CRADLE TO CRADLE NETWORK
(C2CN)
WElCoME To ThE CradlE The partner regions
united in the Cradle to
Waste is food. The fathers of the Cradle to Cradle concept, Michael
Braungart and William McDonough, could not have elucidated their Cradle network intend
concept of sustainability more clearly and more simply.
to introduce the Cradle-
The Dutch Province of Limburg, as one of the first regions in Europe,
has embraced this concept. New and more conscious approaches to to-Cradle concept at a
construction and production, that protect the environment, improve the
welfare of the population and offer economic prospects, are the key European level.
elements of C2C for us in Limburg.
European regions play a key role in implementing the trea-
It is far too easy to dismiss C2C as a utopian idea. Fortunately, other ties of Lisbon and Gothenburg. They have a role in pro-
European regions are on the same wavelength. There are ten European moting sustainability in the EU. Sustainable development
regions, from the United Kingdom to Romania, and from Italy to Finland, is being approached in a number of ways that depend on
who want to show the European Union, the Member States and their regions that eco-effectiveness is possible.That it is possible the objective and the scale of the activity concerned. “Cra-
to produce environmental results, when products and buildings are used which can be reduced to their component parts by using dle to Cradle” (C2C) evokes its own antithesis in “cradle
biological or technological systems, and that the parts, to which they can be reduced can again be re-used in a new cycle. to grave” and provides the framework for a breakthrough.
The C2C idea provides both a challenge and motivation
We want to be the ambassadors of this eco-effective heritage. We have asked the European Union to support us in this with an for a move towards sustainability in a recycling society.
Interreg IV C grant. The parliament and executive of the Province of Limburg are both of the view that deeds must follow words.
The province and 32 Limburg municipalities have agreed to work to save energy and provide sustainable, safe and affordable William A. McDonough and Michael Braungart developed
energy for everyone. the original C2C concept, with the idea of getting things
We are promoting the construction of four new buildings, using a real life laboratory, in which the latest developments in the areas right first time, rather than making up for mistakes later.
of sustainable construction and sustainable energy in these structures are applied. Limburg companies and the Province are going The C2C philosophy, which has its focus on recycling in
to implement the C2C principle and provide concrete project proposals. Our partners are not sitting still either. You can read about closed loops, is an idea that can both contribute to eco-
their projects elsewhere in this newsletter – which incidentally is printed on C2C certified paper. nomic development and reduce reliance on raw materials;
My colleague Jos Hessels, Regional Minister of Innovation, Economics and International Affairs and I hope that many such thus allowing society to make better use of the restricted
newsletters will follow. This would mean that Europe has accepted our project, and that we have convinced Europe that C2C space available and ensuring less environmental pollu-
Eco-effectiveness is alive and well. tion. It is part of a move to a sustainable, environmen-
tally balanced society. C2C does not view the challenge
Bert Kersten, Regional Minister of the Environment, Province of Limburg. of sustainability as a burden to be avoided, but looks for
business opportunities in transforming the process of eco-
nomic innovation and growth.
AT: Department for Economics and Tourist Development of the City of Graz
BE: Flemish Public Waste Agency Our C2C network will establish the following tactical and
operational goals:
FI: Kainuun Etu Ltd
„„ Creating a European platform for gathering and
FR: ARDI Regional Agency for Development and Innovation Design Center disseminating knowledge on C2C;
„„ Drawing up plans of action, in which we demon-
GB: Suffolk County Council
strate to the EU, its member states, regions and
HU: West Trans-Danubian Regional Development Agency relevant organizations how C2C can be formulated
IT: Metropolitan Milan Development Agency and implemented regionally and how this proce-
dure can produce sustainable solutions, economic
NL: Province of Limburg (lead partner)
growth opportunities (innovation) and social well-
RO: North-East Regional Development Agency being;
„„ Establishing links with regional policy objectives,
SI: Government Office for Development and European Affairs
specifically with regional competitiveness and em-
ployment targets and with European territorial co-
operation initiatives;
„„ Promoting regional stakeholder involvement.
The priorities selected are:
„„ Industry (products, production processes & design
Kainuun Etu LTD and product service systems);
„„ Area-specific spatial development (including in-
frastructure, regional and industrial networking);
building design (architecture);
„„ Governance.
The C2C network brings together EU regions to share and
capitalize on regional good practice in implementing C2C
Suffolk County Council principles in relation to waste prevention and manage-
ment, and do so by producing sustainable solutions, eco-
OVAM Flanders nomic development opportunities and social well-being.
Province of Limburg
Meetings of experts, studies of the prospects of each of
the four predefined thematic target areas and transfer
City of Graz North-East Romania RDA
workshops will ultimately result in the transformation of
ARDI Rhône-Alpes good practice into plans of action.
West Transdanubian RDA
Milano Metropoli Slovenia
Partnership
The partnership comprises 10 partners. These partners
differ in their stage of development as regards C2C
activities.
For more information:
C: Harma Albering, Province of Limburg
E: hj.albering@prvlimburg.nl

2. FI: Kainuun Etu Ltd IT: Metropolitan Milan Development Agency
C2C good PraCTiCEs, auTogrill grEEn sTorE
Finland
Autogrill Italia builds the first eco-sustainable and self-sufficient service station store near Ravenna.
Policies The store and restaurant building, designed in 2008 by Autogrill Italia for the Mensa di Ravenna service station on the A14
Finland does not have a distinct C2C policy. Its principal C2C Adriatic Highway near Ravenna, in the Eastern part of Po Valley (Emilia Romagna), is the first totally self-sufficient building in
tool is the national Climate and Energy Policy (CEP). The stra- respect of heating and air-conditioning. This is thanks to geothermal energy and high technology architectural solutions, using
tegic objective of the CEP is to halt and reverse the growth the Passive House approach.
in final energy consumption, so that the share of renewable
energy is increased to 38 per cent by 2020. The longer-term The 400 m2 building is made up of 600 m³ of expanded polystyrene blocks built on layers of mortar known as of ‘shot concrete’
vision entails a further decrease in final energy consumption which is a specific type of reinforced concrete. The aerated floor is built on polystyrene panels and the structure is covered by
by 2050 of at least one third of the 2020 level. (Finland Long term grass and ivy for maximum natural breathing to reduce the surface temperature. This design makes the building look rather
Climate and Energy Strategy, Government Report to Parliament 6 nov 2008) like a green hill.
The regions are therefore implementing the CEP and inter-
preting its priorities locally. The CEP is an environmental
protection policy as much as a national development & com-
petitiveness policy, as Finland focuses a very important part
of its research on energy and environmental technology. Ac-
cordingly, the Environmental Cluster is a nation-wide develop-
ment program, in the 2nd round of the Centers of Expertise.
Performance
Finland has led the world in environmental sustainability, ac-
cording to a 2003 international report. (Journal of Environmental He-
alth vol. 65, 2003). These findings were based on the calculation
of 20 key indicators in five categories.
The five categories of the 20 key indicators are (1) environ-
mental systems; (2) environmental stress; (3) human vul-
nerability to environmental risks; (4) a society’s institutional The interior design also pursues the principle of eco-sustainability: all furniture materials are recyclable and the lighting system
capacity to respond to environmental threats; and (5) a na- uses LED lamps. All these advanced construction technologies and characteristics help to reduce thermal dispersal, mecha-
tion’s stewardship of the shared resources of shared global nical and technical equipment energy consumption (air conditioning and heater systems, etc.) and carbon emissions by more
resources. than 40%. This makes the Autogrill Green Store 50% eco-efficient and 50% eco-effective. Thanks to these results, the building
has been awarded Energy Class A Certification (4.26 kW/per m³ per annum).
C2C
Some on-going projects relevant to C2C & good practice are: More information and detailed data about efficiency and energy waste reduction will be made available in September, after the
„„ The Environmental Cluster Program, 4th Phase 2006- summer. The summer season is the best period for testing the structure and for recording results.
2009. The theme of the fourth phase is an “Eco-effi-
cient Society” and environmental efficient society. (www. In a few years time, a similar project will be completed for the Villoresi Est service station on the A8 Lakes Highway near
environment.fi). This program has been further divided into Milan.
five sectors:
„„ The Countryside and natural resources; For more information:
„„ Communal structure and habitat; C: Cristina Clapiz - Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist Autogrill SpA
„„ Production and consumption; E: cristina.clapiz@autogrill.net
„„ Climate change;
„„ New material technologies for the construction of
infrastructures; A Passive House is a building, (ISO 7730), for which thermal comfort is achieved solely by post-heating or post-cooling of
„„ 80% district heating from renewable energies or from
the fresh air mass, which is required to meet indoor air quality conditions without the need for re-circulated air.
energy recovery from waste. (Finnish Energy Industries)
„„ Zero emissions & energy sufficient communities; for
example: Porvoo the Skaftkärr project. (Jorunn Gan 20
feb 2009). This project includes personalized energy- BE: Flemish Public Waste Agency
sufficient housing solutions, multi-stakeholder involve-
ment, passive housing, minimized energy consumption
for transportation / circulation and waste management; C2C PlaTForM in dEvEloPMEnT in BElgiuM
(Sitra: New energy-efficient suburb to be built in Porvoo)
„„ Passive housing and wooden construction types Increasing numbers of organizations are starting to adopt the C2C principle. With support of the Belgian federal government,
(Woodpolis, Kainuu and Aalto University); (www.woodpo- a C2C program is being developed in response to this. The objective of the C2C Platform is to give companies and govern-
lis.fi) ment institutions the opportunity to investigate the feasibility of C2C implementation for their products and spatial development
„„ Waste management good practice, with its organiza- projects.
tion and technology, of which there are many examples
in Finland; The C2C Platform is organized along the following lines:
„„ Energy recovery from biomass; (www.energy-enviro.fi) „„ First line of information via the website (www.c2cplatform.be - operational end September 2009);
„„ Harvesters of energy wood designed to maximize „„ Lectures;
wood utilization and minimize environmental impact, „„ Workshops for members of the C2C Platform;
using satelite guidance, see photo. „„ Coaching on C2C implementation.
For more information: Participants in the C2C Platform become members of a dynamic network of visionary entrepreneurs who intend to develop a
C: Ninetta Chaniotou, Kainuun Etu Ltd unique position in the market by means of developing safe and healthy products. Participation gives space for product, process
E: ninetta.chaniotou@kainuunetu.fi and system innovations. Cooperation in the value chain is essential and will lead to new insights and opportunities which open
up new markets and provide new forms of service delivery.
The C2C Network is closely aligned with the Flemish Transition Network on Sustainable Material Management – Plan C.
For more information:
E: info@c2cplatform.be
W: www.c2cplatform.be - operational end September 2009
NL: Province of Limburg
ThE vEnlo rEgion PrEsEnTs ‘C2C in vEnlo’
On July 9 the Venlo Limburg region presented a booklet called ‘Venlo Regio C2C in Venlo’ at the startup meeting of the C2C project. The booklet shows how far the Venlo region has gone in
terms of practicing C2C principles. The ‘Venlo Regio C2C in Venlo’ is written in Dutch, English and German, and is available from the Regio Venlo.
For more information:
E: info@regiovenlo.nl
W: http//www.regiovenlo.nl/gallery/file/C2Cboekje_E.pdf or http//www.regiovenlo.nl/gallery/file/C2Cboekje_D.pdf

3. NL: Province of Limburg
World PrEMiErE For van houTuM PaPiEr
First Cradle-to-Cradle certified toilet paper
Van Houtum Papier is the first company in the world to produce a completely biologically degradable toilet, or lavatory, paper.
This achievement has been awarded the Cradle-to-Cradle certificate of the American MBDC organization. The hygienic paper,
which is made from 100 percent recycled paper, already had the FSC-recycled label and the European Eco Flower label.
Van Houtum Papier has developed hand towel and toilet paper following the C2C principle which is perfectly adapted to the bio-
logical closed loop. The raw material - recycled paper - and the chemicals used in the process have been extensively analyzed
by MBDC using a range of criteria. Substances that do not satisfy the strict criteria are replaced. The result is the first hygienic
paper in the world that can be added to the biological closed loop without any harmful effects on the environment.
For more information:
C: Nick op den Buijsch, concept manager CSR
E: n.opdenbuijsch@vanhoutumpapier.com
W: www.vanhoutumpapier.com
AT: Department for Economics and Tourist Development of the City of Graz
ThE graZ CradlE To CradlE rEgion
In collaboration with businesses such as Pilotprojekt and the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, the Graz municipal
council is developing measures to ensure that Greater Graz becomes a model region for the cradle to cradle principle and to in-
crease the competitive power of the region. Mayor Siegfried Nagl and Deputy Mayor Lisa Rueker of Graz initiated the process
and the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences has presented a series of lectures on C2C.
Cooperation has arisen between Pilotprojekt and the FH Joanneum in which students of the course in Information Design are
working on a program of communication for the encouragement of green roofing. In addition to brochures, there is also an
information video film to demonstrate the advantages of this type of construction development, which is cost effective, energy A lot of people want to consume, without damaging our world
saving, and also promotes the environmental climate. or their own health. In C2C design, it’s not a question of giving
up things first and foremost, but much more of making intel-
graz design month ligent use of the example provided by nature. This approach
From April 23 to May 24 2009 the Graz design month was held, with a great deal of colorful action and unusual projects in Graz can lead to a more cost effective business, and developing a
and in the whole of the Province of Styria. The Creative Industries Styria produced a wide-ranging program, with exhibitions, new form of customer loyalty.
festivals, readings, and workshops over a whole range of disciplines.
‘Total Beauty’ a lecture during the Graz design month by Tammo Trantow and Milo Tesselaar from Pilotprojekt, made it clear that For more information:
C2C design would strengthen the economic competitiveness of the regional economy, protect the environment and improve C: Andrea Darvishzadeh, Department for Economic and
the quality of life. Tourism Development of the City of Graz
E: andrea.darvishzadeh@stadt.graz.at
Pilotprojekt presented a concept, using the C2C design principle which looked at consumption and production, that was orien- W: www.pilotprojekt.at
ted towards natural circulation. It was made possible for business and consumers not only to cause less damage to the envi-
ronment, but also to actually have a positive effect. Products were created without negative waste. This became food, which Initiative to generate funding for green roofs:
could be reintegrated into the technical and biological cycle. At the same time, this principle paid attention to the social needs http://www.vimeo.com/4247063
of our twenty first century consumer society and offered a decisive addition to sustainability.
GB: Suffolk County Council RO: North-East Regional Development Agency
ThE EnvironMEnTal CrEdEnTials oF adnaMs nEW PuTTing ThE Bark BEForE
disTriBuTion CEnTrE ThE BiTE
Adnams is a Suffolk brewery which has built a new ware- grow enough in 14 weeks to build 5 houses. The hemp used
housing and distribution center within a disused gravel pit in in the Adnams Distribution Center was grown in East Anglia,
Southwold. The site accommodates a staff of 80 in the office providing a benefit for local farmers.
and warehouse and is very near the Brewery.
The center is one of the first industrial buildings to achieve Glulam Wood Beams
a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating, - the highest standard of envi- The huge curved roof is supported on glulam (glued and lami-
ronmental performance in building design enabling minimal nated) timber beams from sustainable Scandinavian sources.
environmental impact, maximum operational efficiency and The massive glulam beams support the biggest green roof
superior returns on investment. in Britain, at 0.6 hectares. A sedum (green) roof was chosen
Adnams believes that the building sets new standards for en- to enhance the setting and to promote biodiversity within the SC Holzindustrie Schweighofer Srl, Radauti, Suceava County,
vironmental efficiency. site. The green roof helps to lower the U-values and to regu- Romania is a sawmill that purchases over 1.1 million m3 of re-
late the internal temperature. It also provides a vast rainwater sinous logs for timber production, every year. A high volume of
C2C features in construction catchment area, enabling Admans to collect most of the water industrially chopped wood and wooden waste (saw-dust and
Lime/hemp construction needed on site. shavings) results from the production process. An additional
This structure has an outstanding thermal performance - the- quantity of 100,000 m3 of bark comes from removing the bark
re is no mechanical heating or cooling system in the ware- For more information: before being cutting the logs.
house and there is the equivalent of 100 to 150 tonnes of CO2 C: Emma Hibbert In view the quantity of the resulting by-product, the company
locked up within the walls at Adnams Distribution Center. A E: emma.hibbert@adnams.co.uk has invested EUR 20 million in setting up a co-generation po-
conventional brick and block building of the same size would W: http://www.greensuffolk.org/what_can_i_do/businesses/ wer plant able to use biomass for production of steam and
have been responsible for about 300 to 600 tonnes of car- case_studies/environmental_credentials_of_adnams_ “green” power that is fed into the national energy system. The
bon emissions. This means that savings have been made of new_distribution_centre plant has a capacity of 17 MW in steam and 4.9 MW in elec-
at least 450 tonnes of carbon emissions by using lime/hemp tricity.
construction. Hemp is a renewable resource – 1 hectare will Burning the bark and chopped wood produces steam that is
used to dry the timber while the resulting power is fed into the
national energy system through a 20 kV connection.
The environmental impact is reduced by the fact that the bark
is not removed in the forest which means that waste wood is
not left at the logging sites or along the creeks and streams
which eliminates potential soil acidification or pollution of the
mountain streams and the negative impact on the related eco-
systems. As resinous trees are frequently attacked by bark
bugs, transporting the logs and processing them in the spe-
cially equipped mill maintains the phytosanitary conditions for
the rest of the trees.
For more information:
C: Nichifor Tofan
E: Nichifor.Tofan@schweighofer.ro
W: http://www.Schweighofer.ro

4. BE: Flemish Public Waste Agency RO: North-East Regional Development Agency FR: ARDI Regional Agency for Development
and Innovation Design Center
ThE JulEs ClaryssE
WEaving Mill ardi rhÔnE-alPEs
first winner in Flemish C2C competition PrEsEnTs iTs 6Th
'Grenzeloos Gebruik' ('Infinite Use')
ECodEsign ConFErEnCE
Jules Clarysse nv is a Belgian, family-owned cloth mill which
produces bath towels, terry towels and kitchen towels, with ARDI Rhône-Alpes, the Regional Agency for Develop-
a daily production capacity of 100,000 towels. It has a fully ment Innovation – Design Center department is organi-
integrated production system, from yarn to finished products. zing its 6th Ecodesign conference on the 25th of Novem-
Jules Clarysse is considered to be one of the leading terry ber 2009 in Lyon.
towel mills in Europe. Closed-loop systems for product
development: Cradle to Cradle,
Earlier this year Jules Clarysse nv was the first winner in the Blue sign, Pss-strategies
competition 'Discover eternal life - Infinite Use’. ‘Infinite Use’ to encourage company progress.
was a campaign/competition initiated by the Flemish govern-
ment Department for Work and Equal Opportunities together Preliminary Program
with the former Flemish Minister of Mobility, Social Economy (the definitive program will be available by the end of September)
and Equal Opportunities, to promote and encourage Flemish
Businesses to become actively involved with C2C principles. 8.30 Welcome
hEaT via BioMass 9.00 Introduction
The jury chose Jules Clarysse nv as the winner because of 9.30 The C2C methodology
their carefully considered vision of C2C. Products - towels CoMBusTion 10.10 Company testimony on Cradle to Cradle
made of soy fibers and bio-cotton - are not only environmen- The EGGER Group, a family owned company, with its head 10.30 Break
tally sound, Jules Clarysse nv is also the first Belgian weaving office in St Johann in Tirol, Austria, has built a state-of-the-art 11.00 The Blue Sign
mill to use certified cotton from Mali. Buying towels with the particleboard plant in Suceava County, Romania. This is the 11.40 Testimony of company on Blue Sign
Fair-trade/Max Havelaar trademark, as a guarantee of in- 15th of such plants, built by the Group, which runs others in (textile standard)
dependence, also enables improvements to be made to the Austria, Germany, France, the UK and Russia. 12.00 The Product Service System
working and social conditions of small farmers in West Africa. EGGER is going to invest EUR 13 million in a biomass heating 12.45 Lunch
Production of cotton waste is recycled by making floor cloths; plant in Romania. The maximum heating performance of this 14.00 Round table 1: User expectations and behavior
up to about 90% of the waste water is re-used and the retail installation is 40.5 MW; the usable energy (after the heat loss) 14.45 Round table 2: Use and reuse,
trade is maximally involved. Thinking in closed cycles and so- is 38.5 MW. how to involve the user
cial inclusion is a very present factor at Jules Clarysse nv. For optimal utilization of the biomass energy potential, EGGER 15.30 Break
The Flemish Public Waste Agency OVAM (www.ovam.be), decided to use direct combustion technology. The biomass 16.00 Round table 3: The economic, technical
the partner for the Flemish Region in the proposed project sources will be the forestry residuals, residue from wood pro- and legal context of closed-loop systems for
Interreg (4C) C2C Network, participated in the jury. cessing, and vegetal residues from agriculture and food indus- product development – which have influence on
try. A local problem of residue management will be also solved the consumer
For more information: by utilizing these residues as biomass. 16.45 Round table 4: Partners from the C2C Network
C: Weaving Mill Jules Clarysse Investment in a hot gas generator will significantly reduce the 17.30 Summary and conclusions
W: www.claryssejules.be plant’s gas consumption and provide independence from exter-
nal energy sources. The biomass plant in Radauti will reduce For more information:
CO2 emissions by approx. 40.000 tonnes in comparison with C: Charlotte Rix Nicolajsen - ARDI Centre du Design
the combustion of methane gas. E: charlotte.rixnicolajsen@ardi-rhonealpes.fr
W: http://centredudesign.ardi-rhonealpes.fr
The EGGER plant in Radauti is one of the biggest greenfield
investments in Romania,
representing an investment of EUR 210 million in the first stage
Colofon: Coordination & design: Province of Limburg, September 2009 Printing: Ecoprinting Knoops, Venlo Editor: Stafford Wadsworth
of construction and employment for 400 people.
For more information:
E: info-rau@egger.com
W: www.egger.com
We are indebted to the Regional Environment Protection Agency of
Bacau for their cooperation and assistance.
NL: Province of Limburg
FloriadE vEnlo PrinCiPlEs
The Venlo Region is the first region in cultural history and the environment. In addition, there is the the existing type of soil. In this, every effort is made to use
the world to embrace the principles of distribution and use of water that departs from the existing hy- fertilizers that arise naturally. In order to limit these natural
C2C with Floriade 2012 as an impor- drology this uses of the natural height difference of the terrain. fertilizers, symbiotic use is made of fungi to encourage the
tant project. The Floriade Venlo prin- The results is a closed system, where field strange materials uptake of moisture as well as nutrients by plants. There are
ciples have been drawn up to emp- into the area will no longer take place. Stretches of water are, also many practical applications, in respect of the Floriade
hasize this commitment. They were for example, situated on former arable land, and are zoned in Venlo principles. In the phase to and during the Floriade
developed under the influence of and as part of a natural zone along the Mierbeek (a stream) while 2012, there will be far reaching, scientific analysis cumula-
inspired by the C2C philosophy, and another zone is bounded by woodland, surrounding the exter- ting in an annual conference, which will be called ”Floriade
on the basis of the Hanover principles. This has led to the nally sourced exhibits. Dialogue”. This will cover topics, such as: the Structure of a
identification of the most important factors in the preparation Living City, Water, Food and Energy, and the Living City.
of their implementation, in concrete terms. The spearhead As a result in part of introducing open water into the area, and
policies are defined within the organization in the Marketing the differences in biotope that are created on the site, the biodi- For more information:
and Communication, Sales, Design and Development as well versity is increased in both a quantitative and qualitative sense. E: info@floriade.nl
as the Operations and Management of Floriade 2012. Within In addition, among other things, the plants are in harmony with W: www.floriade.com
these areas, Floriade is currently working with a number of
expert organizations and partners within the field of C2C and
are analyzing a number of distinct areas; following this, the
key ideas will be developed further.
In order to be able to develop a program or clean waste sepa-
ration, Floriade is currently visualizing the C2C logistical and
technological challenges of its waste stream during the phase
of design and development. The design, the engineering, and
the construction of the Floriade 2012 park in Venlo was partly
inspired on the basis of the Floriade Venlo principles (see
photo). The idea is to make use of the natural characteristics
of the location. The aspects that are used within this relate,
among other things, to an exchange in open and closed areas
of land with an integrated inclusion of the existing archeology/