TRIGEMA Cradle-to-Cradle
Cradle-to-Cradle
TRIGEMA Change® is part of a new strategy towards healthy and environmental friendly clothing: Organic products made of 100% organic cotton optimized according to Cradle-to-Cradle® standards. All Cradle-to-Cradle-certified products made by TRIGEMA have been optimised for biological recycling in cooperation with the international environmental institute EPEA.
The Cradle-to-Cradle® Principal
This system is closely modelled on the natural systems. Its foundation are closed circuits, which do not generate waste and help us to preserve valuable resources for future generations.
Features of the organic garments we developed:
Features of the organic garments we developed:
- recyclable
- utilise resources instead of consuming them
- 100 per cent composed of wholesome, non-critical substances
- of particularly high quality
- their raw materials have been produced in an ecologically safe manner
- the resources used for their production can be reinserted into the nutrient cycle when the product reaches the end of its useful life
- they never turn into waste
- deren Materialien ökologisch erzeugt werden
- neither their manufacturing process nor the products themselves generate any unusable or toxic substances
In short, these products are: Organic. Cradle-to-Cradle-certified. Produced locally and fair.
The difference between conventional and Cradle-To-Cradle products
The "Cradle-to-Cradle" concept is based on a vision of an industrialised society that models its production processes on nature.
Nature does not produce waste, as it makes use of the right substances at the right time, wherever they are found. The concept sums up the idea of designing products and manufacturing processes in such a way that the raw materials and ingredients used will turn into nutrients rather than waste after they have been utilised or consumed. The main objective is to develop high quality, recyclable materials and goods and transform linear flows of fabric flows to premium recyclables.
The Cradle-to-Cradle concept follows the economic principle applied by nature, which is based on closed cycles. According to this principle, all parts consider themselves to be part of the whole and mutually benefit, promote, transform and recreate without losing anything or leaving anything unusable behind. For instance, try imagining a tree as a production facility of leaves. Its basis of existence and raw material source are the nutrients contained in the soil. It uses water and sunlight to convert this raw material for the purpose of producing fruits and leaves. When the leaves fall to the ground in autumn, they will not remain there as useless waste, but serve as nutrient for countless micro-organisms which will then decompose and utilise the leaves before returning them to the ground in the form of topsoil. This topsoil, in turn, receives its nutrients from the soil, which simultaneously serves as a source of nutrients for the tree. The result is a perfect metabolism in which the product “leaves” circulates.
To allow this cyclic principle to be applied to our economy, the Cradle-to-Cradle concept divides products into two different groups and cycles, durables and consumables.
Nature does not produce waste, as it makes use of the right substances at the right time, wherever they are found. The concept sums up the idea of designing products and manufacturing processes in such a way that the raw materials and ingredients used will turn into nutrients rather than waste after they have been utilised or consumed. The main objective is to develop high quality, recyclable materials and goods and transform linear flows of fabric flows to premium recyclables.
The Cradle-to-Cradle concept follows the economic principle applied by nature, which is based on closed cycles. According to this principle, all parts consider themselves to be part of the whole and mutually benefit, promote, transform and recreate without losing anything or leaving anything unusable behind. For instance, try imagining a tree as a production facility of leaves. Its basis of existence and raw material source are the nutrients contained in the soil. It uses water and sunlight to convert this raw material for the purpose of producing fruits and leaves. When the leaves fall to the ground in autumn, they will not remain there as useless waste, but serve as nutrient for countless micro-organisms which will then decompose and utilise the leaves before returning them to the ground in the form of topsoil. This topsoil, in turn, receives its nutrients from the soil, which simultaneously serves as a source of nutrients for the tree. The result is a perfect metabolism in which the product “leaves” circulates.
To allow this cyclic principle to be applied to our economy, the Cradle-to-Cradle concept divides products into two different groups and cycles, durables and consumables.
Durables
Products that are manufactured for long-term use such as cars, household appliances, carpets, office furniture or synthetic fibres are labelled as durable goods in the Cradle-to-Cradle concept. Their components include high quality materials which are designed to last for a long time such as plastics or metals. These materials are integrated into a technical “nutrient” cycle which is intended to turn them into dynamic, yet lasting goods that will remain useful in the long term. This means that durables need to be designed in such a way that the raw materials used can be separated and recycled without any loss in quality. It will then be possible to use them as the basis for creating new products of equal quality, thereby creating a genuine, endless cycle of materials that do not produce any waste.
Consumables
Products that are made of biodegradable substances or have a limited useful life are defined as consumables in accordance with the Cradle-to-Cradle concept. Examples include textiles composed of natural fibres, cosmetics, food, cleaning agents and detergents, diapers or packaging materials suitable for singular use. Following Cradle-to-Cradle, these consumables are designed in such way that they can be fed back into the biological cycle to serve as nutrients. This purpose requires that all product components are sensible and usable from an ecological standpoint, i. e. that they do not contain any toxic substances.
Making durable goods and consumables based on this principle requires a holistic strategy. Cradle-to-Cradle requires that parameters such as recyclability, non-toxicity, and usability are taken into account starting with the product development stage so that products can be designed for nutrient cycles from the start. Products designed in such a way are capable of solving the raw material and the waste problem at the same time and expose neither man nor the environment to any risk from potentially harmful substances.
Cradle-to-Cradle therefore intends to design and implement useful, completely recyclable or biodegradable products and production methods of the highest quality.
Making durable goods and consumables based on this principle requires a holistic strategy. Cradle-to-Cradle requires that parameters such as recyclability, non-toxicity, and usability are taken into account starting with the product development stage so that products can be designed for nutrient cycles from the start. Products designed in such a way are capable of solving the raw material and the waste problem at the same time and expose neither man nor the environment to any risk from potentially harmful substances.
Cradle-to-Cradle therefore intends to design and implement useful, completely recyclable or biodegradable products and production methods of the highest quality.
The Decomposing Process
Used TRIGEMA Cradle to Cradle products can be returned to TRIGEMA for recycling and composting.
Please note: Should your TRIGEMA Change shirt have any buttons attached to it, please remove them before decomposing the shirt and add them into plastic recycling.
Please note: Should your TRIGEMA Change shirt have any buttons attached to it, please remove them before decomposing the shirt and add them into plastic recycling.
What requirements must be met?
TRIGEMA products from the Change collection are Cradle to Cradle Gold certified. This means that our products meet several important criteria at once. For example:
- 100% of the product's ingredients are accepted based on the C2C chemical assessment.
- At least 50% of the product has been produced from renewable energy. In addition, at least 50% of the emissions generated on site are offset.
- Relevant social issues in the supply chain are comprehensively investigated. E.G.: Fair payment of employees, safe working conditions, etc.
- Responsible use of water.
Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC).
Cradle to Cradle Certified™ is a certification mark licensed exclusively for the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
For more information, go to:
>> EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung
>> MBDC – McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry
Cradle to Cradle Certified™ is a certification mark licensed exclusively for the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
For more information, go to:
>> EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung
>> MBDC – McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry
