San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 25, 2015
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is proud to announce that The Schmidt Family Foundation has again provided generous support with a $375,000 grant. This support helps the Institute encourage manufacturers around the world to make products in fundamentally better ways.
The Institute administers and promotes the Cradle to Cradle Certified(TM) Products Program. This methodology provides product designers and manufacturers with criteria and requirements for continually improving what products are made of and how they are made. The Institute trains and accredits consulting firms who work closely with manufacturers to assess products and apply for certification. Upon independent, third-party review, manufacturers of qualifying products are licensed to use the prestigious Cradle to Cradle Certified quality mark to alert consumers to their commitment and accomplishment.
"We are happy to continue our support of the Institute," said Joe Sciortino, Executive Director of The Schmidt Family Foundation. “A product design and manufacturing revolution is precisely the kind of large-scale systemic change that is at the heart of our program area strategies.”
Wendy Schmidt, president of The Schmidt Family Foundation, has been an active supporter of the Institute’s efforts and a highly involved member of its Board of Directors since 2010. The Foundation works to advance efforts worldwide to help transform environmental and energy practices in the 21st century.
With previous support from The Schmidt Family Foundation in 2014, the Institute saw 32 new companies join the certified products program and a 13% increase in number of product certifications issued. The total number of product lines now certified by the program has grown to 2,488. These can be found in the Institute's online Product Registry (http://www.c2ccertified.org/products/registry).
“The Schmidt Family Foundation has been a key driver for positive change and has helped further our mission to guide and promote innovation,” said Bridgett Luther, president at the Institute. “Commerce can and should be the biggest driver of prosperity for people and planet. We call on other future-thinking foundations to help us bring about these much needed positive impacts.”
For more information on the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program, visit c2ccertified.org.
About Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to turn the making of things into a positive force for people, the economy, and the planet. The Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Program is a system for assessing and continually improving products based upon five categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy, water stewardship, and social fairness. The Institute is headquartered in San Francisco, California with satellite offices in Amsterdam and Venlo, the Netherlands and Raleigh, North Carolina.
About The Schmidt Family Foundation
Established in 2006 by Wendy and Eric Schmidt, The Schmidt Family Foundation works to advance the wiser use of energy and natural resources and to support efforts worldwide that empower communities to build resilient systems for food, water, and human resources.