When recycling equates with quality raw materials

Twenty five years ago, the German chemist Michael Braungart developed a new approach to recycling, now called "Cradle to Cradle" or "C2C" after the book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, which he and the American architect William McDonough published in 2002. Their basic idea is that the recycling process should start with the initial design of products. “We are trying to make sure that the materials that are used for a product can be used again after the product has finished its useful life,” says Wolfgang Schönknecht, a researcher at Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), based in Hamburg, Germany.

Further information: cordis.europa.eu