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Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Papier wird in der Zukunft weiter deutlich zunehmen – wenn auch in anderen Bereichen als es heute der Fall ist. Schon heutzutage wird beispielsweise mehr als die Hälfte des bedruckten Papiers im Verpackungsbereich eingesetzt. Mit Cradle to Cradle bekommen die Papieringenieure eine besondere und zusätzliche Bedeutung, wenn es darum geht, Dinge zu gestalten, die für die Umwelt und die Gesundheit nützlich sind und nicht nur weniger schädlich.

The built environment faces diverse sustainability challenges concerning the ecological, the economic and the sociocultural dimension. However, common construction practices mainly focus on the reduction of environmental impacts, especially the energy consumption in the usage phase. Despite their long tradition of implementation, these eco-efficiency based strategies can only be regarded as a useful and groundwork lying step and opportunity to reduce the ecological impact in the short-term, but are insufficient for addressing the need for fundamental redesign of buildings in the long-term. In contrast, the cradle to cradle concept offers a model for fundamental redesign of buildings allowing positive interaction with the ecosystem based on the eco-effectiveness approach. The paper will analyse and compare eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness based criteria for the construction of single-family homes with the help of guidelines and assessment methods for buildings and materials. The analysis serves the aim of identifying learnings from the long-term experience in the field of eco-efficiency and benefitting from it for the future implementation of eco-effectiveness based strategies. Single-family homes are chosen as typology as they represent the most popular housing type in Germany, but show numerous disadvantages regarding the ecological, economic and socio-cultural dimension compared to other forms of housing. Representing the smallest but worst typology from a sustainability point of view, they offer an ideal starting point. In a next step, the results can be transferred and expanded to other typologies.

From concrete to plastics, the megatonnes of stuff in the built environment are mostly manufactured and used with little thought for waste and pollution. Radical moves are afoot to refashion the urban fabric.

With its focus on using and consuming less, much of today’s debate about sustainability is negative and misconceived. By learning from nature we can chart a much richer, more positive way forward.

This paper will analyse the developments in the spatial planning system in the Netherlands, as of the industrial revolution, as it has led to good practices of international recognition, but now seems to be under pressure because of the increasing complexity and multiple crises induced by societal changes. This historical analysis will be conducted from a Transition and Cradle to Cradle perspective as the system is optimized, based on technological developments, demographic and economic growth, without integrating the benefits in ecologic and societal values. Various problems as ineffective use of space; loss of ecosystem services in the urbanized areas; and several social problems are the result. In other words, the spatial planning system has multiple system failures and is in need of an alternative perspective. This alternative perspective will be based on the autonomous developments and recurring patterns. The authors will highlight how the state, market and civil society could support the generation of ecological and societal benefits through the economic developments in the built environment.

Ob Nahrung, Kleidung oder Schminke, wir wissen in der Regel kaum Bescheid, aus welchen Stoffen und Materialien unsere "materiellen Alltäglichkeiten" bestehen, noch woher sie kommen und wohin sie gehen. Finden sich jedoch Nitrosamine im Bier, Chromate an den Schuhen oder Tributylzinnhaltiges auf dem T-Shirt, dann kennt die Aufregung kaum Grenzen, für einige Tage… Unsere wirklichen Kenntnisse über die Tag für Tag benutzten Ressourcen und Materialien sind marginal. Nachhaltige Entwicklung, verstanden als ein zukunftstauglicher und risikoarmer Umgang mit Stoffen und Energieträgem, erfordert eine bewußtere sowie aktivere Kenntnisnahme von historisch gewachsenen und sich weiter fortschreibenden Zusammenhängen, von "Stoffgeschichten". In diesem Artikel werden Etappen und Ereignisse aus der Stoffgeschichte der Silicone vorgestellt. Diese rein synthetischen Stoffe sind in den letzten Jahrzehnten in alle Lebensbereiche vorgedrungen: Nahrung, Kleidung, Kosmetik, Wohnung, Auto, überall verrichten sie mit maßgeschneiderten Eigenschaften ihren Dienst, übernehmen nützliche Funktionen. Und doch zeigen sie sich hier und dort widerspenstig, setzen ihr Potential in ganz unerwartete Funktionen um. Aber nicht da, wo man diese brauchen könnte, sondern in unvorhergesehenen Zusammenhängen. Siliconprodukte weichen gelegentlich vom vorgezeichneten Pfad ab, und es vollzieht sich ein Wechselspiel zwischen den ihnen innewohnenden Eigenschaften und den komplexen Bedingungen, denen sie im Verlauf ihrer Geschichte von der Wiege bis zur Bahre ausgesetzt werden. Wo ist Endstation?

Eine auf stetiges Wachstum ausgerichtete Welt stoβt zunehmend an die fernab geglaubten Grenzen der Ressourcenentnahme. Gleichzeitig sind die okologischen Systeme zunehmend durch Abfalle, Abwasser und Emissionen bedroht. Derzeitige Losungsansatze zur Behebung dieser Probleme beruhen auf der effizienten Gestaltung von Prozessen, Dienstleistungen und Produkten. Doch konnen diese Maβnahmen den drohenden Kollaps wirklich verhindern? Ist es nicht vielmehr so, dass wir uns durch unsere vielgepriesenen Maximen: „Reduce, Reuse, Recycle“ (Reduzieren, Wiederverwerten, Recyceln) lediglich Zeit kaufen? Im Hinblick auf diese rhetorischen Fragen sind innovative Ideen wichtiger denn je. Das derzeitige Abfallrecycling oder gar die Mullverbrennung sind keine langfristigen Antworten auf die sich anbahnende desastrose Entwicklung.

The positive agenda of Cradle to Cradle establishes a new paradigm for redesigning in the built environment. Cradle to Cradle consists of a philosophy, quantifiable principles, and implementation tools that together comprise an innovation platform for enhancing the quality of materials, energy and biodiversity. This platform generates social, economic and eco-effective benefits, which go beyond the conventional sustainability approach of using eco-efficiency to minimize environmental impacts. Cradle to Cradle is well known through earlier published works but most practitioners in the built environment are still unfamiliar with how to apply its principles. The framework here provides an introduction to the philosophy then translates the three basic Cradle to Cradle principles into criteria that can be quantifiably applied and evaluated. It further describes implementation criteria, which allow the innovative integration of defined financial, contract, and design application tools. Definitions of Cradle to Cradle energy in relation to climate change gases are also provided.

The positive agenda of Cradle to Cradle establishes a new paradigm for redesigning in the built environment. Cradle to Cradle consists of a philosophy, quantifiable principles, and implementation tools that together comprise an innovation platform for enhancing the quality of materials, energy and biodiversity. This platform generates social, economic and eco-effective benefits, which go beyond the conventional sustainability approach of using eco-efficiency to minimize environmental impacts. Cradle to Cradle is well known through earlier published works but most practitioners in the built environment are still unfamiliar with how to apply its principles. The framework here provides an introduction to the philosophy then translates the three basic Cradle to Cradle principles into criteria that can be quantifiably applied and evaluated. It further describes implementation criteria, which allow the innovative integration of defined financial, contract, and design application tools. Definitions of Cradle to Cradle energy in relation to climate change gases are also provided.

Eco-effectiveness and cradle-to-cradle design present an alternative design and production concept to the strategies of zero emission and eco-3efficiency. Where eco-efficiency and zero emission seek to reduce the unintended negative consequences of processes of production and consumption, eco-effectiveness is a positive agenda for the conception and production of goods and services that incorporate social, economic, and environmental benefit, enabling triple top line growth. Eco-effectiveness moves beyond zero emission approaches by focusing on the development of products and industrial systems that maintain or enhance the quality and productivity of materials through subsequent life cycles. The concept of eco-effectiveness also addresses the major shortcomings of eco-efficiency approaches: their inability to address the necessity for fundamental redesign of material flows, their inherent antagonism towards long-term economic growth and innovation, and their insufficiency in addressing toxicity issues. A central component of the eco-effectiveness concept, cradle-to-cradle design provides a practical design framework for creating products and industrial systems in a positive relationship with ecological health and abundance, and long-term economic growth. Against this background, the transition to eco-effective industrial systems is a five-step process beginning with an elimination of undesirable substances and ultimately calling for a reinvention of products by reconsidering how they may optimally fulfill the need or needs for which they are actually intended while simultaneously being supportive of ecological and social systems. This process necessitates the creation of an eco-effective system of `' nutrient `' management to coordinate the material flows amongst actors in the product system. The concept of intelligent materials pooling illustrates how such a system might take shape, in reality. (C) 2006 Published by Elsevier Ltd.