Michigan company seeks sustainable future

To reduce environmental waste, manufacturers are using cradle-to-cradle standards to create new products.

Details, a subsidiary of Steelcase headquartered in Grand Rapids, recently unveiled its first cradle-to-cradle device — a keyboard assembly. Cradle-to-cradle means the product is made of recycled materials that can be recycled again at the end of the product’s life.

“We pull very little virgin raw materials from the environment and send very little back into the environment. When someone is done with the product, it can be recycled to create products of equal or greater value,” said Dave Kagan, director of communications.

“Our goal generally, is to have everything Details produces cradle-to-cradle certified,” said Ken Suttorp, production manager for computer support materials. He said this is a very long-term project.

“Cradle-to-cradle is a much higher level of achievement than recyclable,” Suttorp said.

McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) created the protocol and helps companies implement it. From the firm’s website:

“Instead of designing cradle-to-grave products, dumped in landfills at the end of their ‘life,’ MBDC transforms industry by creating products for cradle-to-cradle cycles, whose materials are perpetually circulated in closed loops. Maintaining materials in closed loops maximizes material value without damaging ecosystems.”