Cradle to Cradle certification is a third-party verification program that assesses physical products' safety, circularity, and responsibility.
It looks beyond the product itself to how the company conducts business. Products are evaluated across five categories: material health, product circularity, clean air & climate protection, water & soil stewardship, and social fairness.
Products that are certified to Cradle to Cradle standards are considered to be more sustainable than products that are not certified. But it must be noted that the certification process is rigorous and can be expensive. The certification is also only valid for three years.