Alcoa Foundation Awards Funding to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute to Create Online Education Program for Product Designers

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcoa Foundation has awarded a grant to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute to develop a new web-based education program for product designers. Available starting June 9, the course will challenge participants to explore and apply design strategies to ensure that the materials that go into each product can return safely to industry or nature at a product's end of life.

"This simple idea is central to working in partnership with the planet to support a high standard of living for more than 9 billion people in 2050," said Bridgett Luther, President of the Institute. "The design revolution starts with designers. Imagine if everything we made had a beneficial impact on the planet's resources. This course will challenge designers to rethink their designs in the context of making the world a place of abundance."

The free course will be self-paced and provide strategies, tools and examples of the five quality categories of the Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM Products Program – a recognized leadership standard in designing for the future. In addition to material reutilization, the program also rewards design considerations for material health, use of clean energy, water stewardship, and social fairness. 

"The Cradle to Cradle certification program will add important knowledge and credentialing to sustainable design practices," said Esra Ozer, President of Alcoa Foundation. "This course will extend environmental and social awareness to many more designers so that the products of tomorrow have a positive impact and utility on people and planet.  We are thrilled to help fund this initiative."

The course content will be supported by ongoing live events where attendees can interact with the Institute's extensive network of experts, including manufacturers, academic leaders, and industrial designers.

Following the online course, participants will be encouraged to submit a workable design for a product that would be eligible to receive the Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM mark, demonstrating their command of design principles that focus on material re-use. The top designs and designers will be featured at the Institute's annual Innovation Celebration – a gathering of the world's leading innovators, designers, change agents and influencers.

The Institute is currently in the development phase of the program, which will launch on June 9, 2015. Please register your interest online (www.c2ccertified.org//education_alcoa_design/sign_up) and let the transformation begin. For additional information please contact project manager Stacy Glass at [email protected].

About Alcoa Foundation

Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately US$460 million. Founded 60 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than US$570 million since 1952. In 2012, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than US$21 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, building innovative partnerships to improve the environment and educate tomorrow's leaders for careers in manufacturing and engineering. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa's thousands of employee volunteers who share their talents and time to make a difference in the communities where Alcoa operates. Through the Company's signature Month of Service program, in 2012, a record 60 percent of Alcoa employees took part in more than 1,050 events across 24 countries, benefiting more than 450,000 people and 2,050 nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit alcoafoundation.com and follow @AlcoaFoundation on Twitter.

About the 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. Its rigorous standard is a way for leading brands to assess and continuously improve their products. In 2013, Cradle to Cradle Certified products became eligible for LEEDv4 credits. The Institute has 11 accredited assessment bodies around the world that assist companies in readying their products for certification. @C2Ccertfied

SOURCE Alcoa Foundation