Product Design

Client: AkzoNobel
Country: The Netherlands, UK, Germany
Role: Overall project manager, moderator and co-developer of the Cradle to Cradle^sm (CtC) outline within AkzoNobel
Purpose: Contributing towards AkzoNobel's goals for increasing the turnover of 'eco-premium' products to 30% by 2015 by applying the Cradle to Cradle^sm concept on their product portfolio

The Cradle to Cradle^sm concept in a nutshell

The concept of Cradle to Cradle^sm unites far reaching environmental ambitions with entrepreneurship: a vision of a healthy society for both man and the environment.
The ambitious goals of Cradle to Cradle^sm are what inspire companies to work with the concept. A product (entirety or components) that ends up in an uncontrolled fashion must be designed to fit in a biological cycle of life where innovative designs are needed to eliminate negative impacts on the natural environment. More inert products are characterised within technical cycles of life; they must be suitable for (endless) reuse and eliminate the need for a fresh supply of raw materials.

The concept demands a critical examination of a companies' supply chain to be effective: extraordinary chain coordination and collaboration are needed to cleverly manage the material flows 'by design'. This means designing products so that they can be collected and reused in a way that enables a return to the biological or technical cycles. As always, sound economic principles must apply in returning end of life products back into these cycles. Such an approach fits well with the existing need to better control the supply chain. This need arises from societal pressure, quality or risk and liability management. Cradle to Cradle^sm goes hand in hand with these business drivers!
Inogen's associate BECO holds a formal cooperation agreement with the concept creator, Michael Braungart.

Outline / Scope of Works

At the beginning of 2009 an innovation project was initiated at AkzoNobel, based on the concept of Cradle to Cradle^sm. Starting in two Business Units at AkzoNobel, Cradle to Cradle^sm has become the leading concept for new product development. The aim of Cradle to Cradle^sm for Akzonobel is to design industrial processes and products that are safe, profitable and completely renewable. A well-designed product should be part of a closed biological or technical cycle, and deliver both economic and ecological value.

Inogen Associate Beco is working with AkzoNobel to deliver this concept into their business. AkzoNobel, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, makes and supplies a wide range of paints, coatings and speciality chemicals. Beco is involved in Akzo's portfolio screening, data gap analysis for CtC assessment, drawing the CtC outline with desired characteristics and developing an implementation strategy within the two Business Units. Beco also moderates several awareness sessions with Research & Development (R&D), production and manage-ment.

Outcome / Client Benefits:

• A positive list of desired characteristics for the selected products as input and guidance for the required R&D efforts. Based on a data gap analysis and choices made for optimising the biological cycle or techno-logical cycle.
• An approach that shows how the Cradle to Cradle^sm concept can be implemented at AkoNobel and especially in the BU Functional Chemicals.
• The Cradle to Cradle^sm concept has provided solutions to develop alternatives for materials that are becoming scarcer and more expensive.
• Meeting the demands from societal pressure, quality or risk and liability management.
• Supporting the existing need to better control the supply chain.

The concept will continue to be implemented into AkoNobel's business, to further improve the supply chain.