Cradle to Cradle Certification for Worlée Products

Approximately 7.2 billion people currently live on this earth, and they produce around 3.5 million tons of waste every day – an amount that is almost inconceivable. For years, scientists have been warning us about the consequences of this situation for the environment. The long-established Hamburg company Worlée, recognizing its  responsibility to work against this trend, has now developed its first products in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle concept, namely, the alkyd emulsion WorléeSol NW 474 as well as the alkyd resin WorléeKyd S 23. WorléeSol NW 474’s area of application is in wood impregnation and wood varnishes, while WorléeKyd S 23 is designed for use in printing inks.

The concept was developed by Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, the founder of the EPEA (Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency) International Environmental Research Institute GmbH and scientific director of the Hamburg Environmental Institute. The principal goal is to encourage and promote the development of products which are positioned within nature’s biological metabolic cycles and thus preserve the natural resources of the earth. In this way, a “cradle to grave” model (acquire-produce-discard) may be prevented.

The only certified products are those which adhere to the strict standards of the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute in its five areas, namely materials, reutilization system for materials, energy, water and social responsibility. For certification, all ingredients of the product must be known in order to evaluate them with respect to possible hazards that they may pose to the environment. Energy and water usage are also a primary focus for the Institute scientists. Clarification is required with respect to the fraction of energy that is renewable and the quality that is to be found in post-usage water. Social principles are likewise examined by the Institute.

In this way, economic growth and environmental awareness in the  future need not be contradictory, and the “cradle to grave” model could someday become a thing of the past. With Cradle to Cradle Silver Certification for the products WorléeSol NW 474 und WorléeKyd S 23, the company Worlée continues along the path of sustainability that it has followed for many years in all of its product areas and divisions.