C2C Certified® Full Scope

The most recent version of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard (Full Scope) is Version 5, released on February 10, 2026 and effective on March 16, 2026.

Version 5 is ready! Driving better product design in a data driven economy

The book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, written by our cofounders William McDonough and Michael Braungart, remains as relevant – and urgent – as ever. But the context is changing quickly: fragmented regulatory environments, tighter margins and material supply volatility, and digital platforms and AI tools reshaping how products are discovered and purchased.

These forces create an opportunity for Cradle to Cradle Certified® to make a bigger difference.  Here’s how.

Version 5 – streamlined to focus on measurable product and production-level impacts

Version 5 of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard (Full Scope) is a significant refinement of Version 4, grounded in five years of implementation experience.

It sharpens the focus while preserving the vision, rigor, and continuous improvement framework that define Cradle to Cradle Certified®. From it, we derive our family of product certifications: Full Scope, Material Health, and Circularity.

On behalf of the Board I’m delighted to see the intensive listening and teamwork across Certification holders, the expert Conformity Assessment Bodies, the Standards Steering Committee and Institute in rapidly developing Version 5.
Image of Dr. Christine Lemaitre
Dr. Christine LemaitreBoard Chair

Letting verified data do the work

Version 5’s focus on measurable sustainability impacts supports our efforts to communicate the achievements of certified products in the data driven economy.  Online shopping platforms are already narrowing the gap between what customers say they want and what they actually buy, with a measurable sales advantage for certified products. AI will accelerate this shift – bringing sophisticated product discovery support to individual and corporate buyers alike and relying heavily on trust signals such as Cradle to Cradle Certified®.

In 2026, we will launch our new digital certification platform. Together with a redesigned product database and machine-readable standard, this will make certified products more visible online and in AI-supported purchase recommendations, while giving certification holders access to a rich store of verified data summarized in a new visual scorecard of achievements.  All this builds on a rich legacy of existing program recognitions such as LEED, DGNB, WELL, GreenSign and many others.

Join us

Version 5 is a key pillar of a broader transformation: a growing global network of expert Conformity Assessment Bodies, a more refined data-focused certification system designed to drive better product design in a data-driven economy, with further innovations soon to be announced. We commend the leading companies already on this journey and invite others to join us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Relevant resources

Please see our Resources page for a full list of relevant guidance, methodologies, policies and forms supporting the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program.
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