The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's two-day Innovation Celebration & Product Symposium was held in New York City. This year’s theme, “Learn, Share, Collaborate, Celebrate,” was focused on Cradle to Cradle product innovation.

This year, the Institute honored trailblazers in the circular economy with its Cradle to Cradle Products Innovator Award, Cradle to Cradle Systems Innovator Award and Cradle to Cradle Leaders Award.

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovator Award recognized three organizations that have revolutionized closed-loop and Cradle to Cradle product design: Ecover, Mosa and Trigema Inh. W. Grupp.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard helps address the market demand for ever-scarcer resources and communicate manufacturers’ commitment to their sustainability initiatives. Two organizations that help make this work possible—The Schmidt Family Foundation and the DOEN Foundation—were given Cradle to Cradle Leaders Awards. 

“We are so thankful for The Schmidt Family Foundation, the DOEN Foundation and all of the Cradle to Cradle product innovators that are transforming the market to offer safer alternatives across industries,” said Bridgett Luther, president of the Institute. “We wanted to create a two-day event that helps the Cradle to Cradle community of certified product companies share best practices and collaborate with each other in order to accelerate their leadership in sustainability.”

The first-ever Cradle to Cradle Product Symposium was a full day dedicated to leaders in Cradle to Cradle product design, innovation and certification. Moderated by Marc Gunther, editor-at-large of Guardian Sustainable Business U.S. and contributing editor and co-chair of Fortune Brainstorm GREEN, the symposium featured an opening session on the Impact of Cradle to Cradle Certified Innovation & Optimization, three breakout sessions with optional topic tracks and a closing collaboration and wrap-up. The evening concluded with separate dinner events: co-creative dinners, broken up into shared-interest groups meeting at local restaurants and a CEO leadership dinner, with a panel discussion moderated by Gunther, featuring speakers Arthur Thomaes, CEO of Royal Mosa; Coert Zachariasse, owner and CEO of Delta Development Group; Philip Malmberg, CEO of Ecover, and Wolfgang Grupp Sr., CEO of Trigema.

For more information, visit c2ccertified.org.