When the Cradle to Cradle NGO opened its real-world laboratory on Landsberger Allee in Berlin in 2018, an old pharmacy in a prefabricated building had previously been completely gutted and renovated according to C2C criteria. This location has now been expanded once again—with exactly the same drive. Starting now, the Community Hub offers space for people who want to shape the future. It’s about networking, brainstorming ideas, and fostering collaborations across industries and sectors.
The Cradlers now have 500 square meters to demonstrate in every room what is now possible with a genuine, holistic circular economy. And these rooms were well-filled at the spring reception in mid-March with around 200 guests and partners from business, politics, and civil society. The atmosphere: positive and inspiring—just as the Cradle to Cradle principle envisions.
MORE THAN 100 COMPANIES PARTICIPATING
Among other things, the event celebrated the fact that more than 100 companies are now demonstrating what is possible in terms of a true circular economy based on C2C principles in the Real-World Lab and the Community Hub. You can see it in the wall designs, in the open areas that visualize the floor structure, in the furniture, in the exposed wiring, in the greenery—even in the product examples in the bathroom: Here, companies aren’t thinking in mainstream terms. Instead, they are trying to create healthy indoor air through recyclable products and ensure reusability after the end of the product’s useful life. NGO co-director Nora Griefahn said it is important to set a positive agenda with C2C and show that change can also be shaped positively.
POLITICS ALSO VALUES C2C
It is now becoming clear that not only have numerous companies long recognized the signs of the times, but that politics, as the framework provider for any kind of social change, is also convinced. At the very least, Ute Bonde, Berlin’s Senator for the Environment, was among the speakers at the spring reception who values the NGO’s work. She pointed out that in Berlin, the circular economy is a key lever for a climate-friendly and sustainable economy and for a high quality of life in the neighborhoods. Less waste in everyday life, cleaner air, new jobs, and repair services are among the positive outcomes of such a policy. “How we build is also crucial,” said the senator. Regarding the C2C NGO, she said: “The real-world lab and the community hub play an important role in this process; they serve as a workshop for transformation. We value C2C as a constructive partner in the implementation process and also in how we can reach citizens.”
The second speaker from the political sphere also emphasized the importance of the circular economy. Antje von Broock, Head of the Department for Circular Economy, Air Pollution Control, and Chemical Safety at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, provided information on the Circular Economy Action Program, which implements the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS). This program establishes a networking platform to advance the issue at all levels. She, too, spoke of public procurement as a key lever for a transition toward a circular economy. She noted that public procurement naturally also takes place at the state and local levels, and that progress there is in some cases further along than at the federal level.
Guests at the spring reception used the evening for exactly what the Community Hub is meant to be: they networked, exchanged information and business cards, listened, and shared insights. Many of the companies involved in the renovation introduced themselves to the audience in short interviews—but much of the interaction also took place in one-on-one and group conversations. Let’s keep it up!
Anyone looking to organize a workshop, panel discussion, get-together, strategy meeting, networking event, or corporate gathering in Berlin can use the Community Hub.
Anyone looking for inspiration from C2C should attend the next Cradle to Cradle Congress on September 17 and 18, 2026, at TU Berlin.
Monika Griefahn GmbH
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