NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 18, 2013 –Product designers, corporate CEO’s, sustainability leaders, technology giants, entertainment and fashion icons met this past weekend in New York City to celebrate the First Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Challenge winners. This event recognized the leaders in the product design innovation using the Cradle to Cradle design principles and included a special recognition to the Closed Looped Cycle Production in the Americas program partner C2C ExpoLab.

The event was organized by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Challenge Institute and the Make it Right organization. The C2C Product Innovation Challenge was established in 2012 as a chance for innovators around the globe to reinvent and respond to the issues on how building products are designed, manufactured, and consumed. Among 144 applicants, ten finalists were pre-selected resulting in the final selection of four winners by review of a renowned jury.

Executives and owners of US and EU-based enterprises and change agents from around the globe shared their experiences with adopting the C2C design philosophy in their business models and projects during the CEO’s inaugural dinner. The guest of honour of this prestigious event was the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg and Michael Braungart and William McDonough the founders of the Cradle to Cradle concept.

During the celebration the Mayor Antoin Scholten of the Venlo region in the Netherlands received the 2013 Innovative C2C City Award for their work with C2C ExpoLab in the application of Cradle to Cradle design and deployment. The C2C ExpoLab has been an official partner of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) through the Closed Looped Cycle Production in the Americas program which is executed by the Organization of Americans States (OAS).

The Closed Looped Cycle Production in the Americas program manager Kevin de Cuba extends his congratulations to the C2C ExpoLab team for their efforts in facilitating C2C deployment around the globe. He looks forward to continue the work in partnership with C2C ExpoLab and other partners in their efforts in building awareness and capacity regarding the application of innovative design methods as the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy throughout the Americas.

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ECPA is a flexible mechanism through which governments in the Western Hemisphere may voluntarily lead multi-country or bilateral initiatives to promote clean energy, advance energy security, fight energy poverty, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for a sustainable Americas. The objective of this partnership is to contribute to the achievement of specific energy and climate change goals, which include promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, cleaner fossil fuels, energy infrastructure, energy poverty abatement, sustainable landscapes and adaptation, with the ultimate purpose of advancing energy sustainability and low carbon economic growth. For more information on ECPA initiatives, news and events, please visit, www.ecpamericas.org.