Oops, I did it again: how our mistakes helped us learn to make real impact on circularity (and how you can, too)

Ren DeCherney, director of the built environment at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) shared how digitalization is transforming how sustainability data empowers design decisions. After feedback from all parts of the market, C2CPII is releasing tools to communicate the sustainability achievements of Cradle to Cradle Certified® products in ways that resonate with different audiences.

Cradle to Cradle Certified® has evolved from a static process into an agile dataset that is designed to integrate directly where designers and manufacturers work. Through improved APIs, a visual scorecard, and new transparency documents, C2CPII is ensuring verified product information works in everyday design workflows.

This digital ecosystem ensures that impact data is not locked in reports but flows freely into design tools, procurement systems, and BIM environments. The result? Better decisions at the speed of design, backed by trusted verification.

Biggest lesson learned: different audiences need different types of information. It’s critical to contextualize information in ways that resonate with the audience in order for the information to be usable!

Christine Vandover, principal at global design firm HOK shared how HOK is tracking material selection by project across their firm to measure the sustainability impact of projects. They realized that making a pledge to specify sustainable products wasn’t enough – they could only understand and report their sustainability performance if they actively tracked the work. In addition to tracking materials, they are also tracking circular design. By incorporating a circular design phase early in a design project, teams identify opportunities for circularity early which can also be tracked.

By tracking the products and materials used in their buildings, HOK can now quantify their progress and identify areas for improvement in many ways: by category, by impact, by office, etc.

Their work demonstrates the power of measuring impact, not only to meet client goals but to drive measurable performance outcomes. Through this data-driven approach, HOK is creating a feedback loop that informs future specifications and procurement strategies, helping them track and measure their impact across the globe.

Biggest lesson learned: you can’t truly understand your impact and begin to optimize until you measure it.

For Fokkema & Partners, circular design has evolved from an ambition into a daily practice. The firm has been working with clients who are embracing circularity and zero waste. The firm works with these clients on sourcing materials from existing buildings rather than demolishing them. This shift transforms waste into opportunity: a new approach to the aesthetics of a project.

Partner Patrick Levie emphasized that designing for circularity requires both designers and clients to embrace the unknown of aesthetics in the beginning of the project. When working with existing finishes and furnishings project aesthetics no longer begin with a blank sheet. 

By reimagining a building as a network of existing resources, Fokkema & Partners are not only reducing the impacts of projects but preserving the history and integrity of built environments. Their approach proves that circularity is as much about creativity as it is about sustainability. This has led to projects with stunning visuals that connect to the history of the building and intentions of the clients.

Biggest lesson learned: instead of having “demolition” sheets, consider using a “harvest” sheet to document and incorporate the pieces of the building can be reused and reinvigorated.

Furniture manufacturer Ahrend illustrated how Cradle to Cradle Certified® has guided their transition from linear production to a fully circular business model. For years, their products have been designed for reuse and remanufacture, ensuring components can be easily disassembled and repaired.

As Ahrend looked to transitioning their business model to a circular model, they looked to their own products in the market, already designed for circularity thanks to their work with Cradle to Cradle Certified®. To create a circular business model, Ahrend has been taking back their own products and refurbishing them in their Circular Hub and even introducing a “furniture as a service” model where customers can lease furniture rather than purchase it outright. Their circular approach extends beyond sustainability to customer value: providing the same guarantees and performance, with significantly lower environmental impact.

Biggest lesson learned: designers should include manufacturers as partners in projects from the beginning – manufacturers are experts in what is feasible to repair or refurbish and what the possibilities are, opening up the possibilities for innovation.

The panel closed with reflections on what it takes to operationalize circularity across industries. Each speaker underscored that digital tools, data transparency, and cross-sector collaboration are critical, but so is embracing beauty and innovation.

Takeaways:

• Start small but start now – perfection is the enemy of progress.

• Align data early – ensure material data is accurate and consistent from the start.

• Collaborate across the value chain – manufacturers, designers, and owners must work together.

• Design for maintenance and reuse, not just recycling.

• Communicate clearly – circularity fails when stories aren’t shared.

Together, these lessons highlight a collective truth: the path to circularity is iterative, data-driven, and deeply human.