Albin Kälin

Owner, Founder & CEO of EPEA Switzerland GmbH -

Profile

About Albin Kälin
1981 to 2004 Albin Kälin was Managing Director of Rohner Textil AG in Switzerland. Under his leadership, the company won since the 90s 19 international design awards. In 1993 he stimulated the development of the product line Climatex ® (www.climatex.com) and thus the first Cradle to Cradle ® products worldwide. Albin Kälin was awarded in 2001 with UBS Key Trophy as the “Rhine Valley Entrepreneur of the Year”.

2002 – 2007 member of supervisory board of Fein Elast Group in Austria. 2005 to 2009, CEO of EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH in Hamburg. 2007 in addition CEO of EPEA Netherland.

2009 – today Albin Kälin founder and CEO of EPEA Switzerland GmbH, accredited assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified® certification standard. 2021 awarded CEO Today Europe Award 2021.

Firm Profile
EPEA Switzerland GmbH
EPEA Switzerland GmbH supports companies in different areas of activities in the development and implementation of Cradle to Cradle® design concepts.
www.epeaswitzerland.com

With an experienced, internationally oriented and interdisciplinary working management team, Cradle to Cradle® projects are implemented in all industries worldwide. EPEA Switzerland is an accredited general assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Certification.

Cradle to Cradle® Design Innovations
Cradle to Cradle® Design Innovations define and develop cyclable products.

In regard to differentiation to conventional recycling the quality level of the raw materials remains throughout multiple product lifecycles and only purely “assessed safe chemicals” are used.

The products are developed according the model to maintain the quality of raw materials over multiple life cycles taking the production processes, the use and the reutilization into account. This means: No waste, all ingredients are considered as nutrients. The right materials are integrated in defined cycles (metabolism) at the right time and place.

Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard
Cradle to Cradle Certified® is a globally recognized measure of safer, more sustainable products made for the circular economy.
www.c2ccertified.org

Product designers, manufacturers and brands around the world rely on the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard as a transformative pathway for designing and making products with a positive impact on people and planet. From fragrances to flooring, t-shirts and jeans to water bottles and window treatments, thousands of products are Cradle to Cradle Certified® . What’s more, a growing number of brands, organizations and standards also recognize Cradle to Cradle Certified as a preferred product standard for responsible purchasing decisions.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is dedicated to powering innovation for the circular economy through products that have a positive impact on people and planet.

Through the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program, the Institute sets the global standard for products that are safe, circular and made responsibly. Cradle to Cradle Certified® is used by future focused designers, brands, retailers and manufacturers across the value chain to innovate and optimize materials and products according to the world’s most advanced science-based measures for material health, product circularity, renewable energy and climate, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness.

The Institute powers the global shift to a circular economy through partnerships and collaborative initiatives that equip businesses, governments and other stakeholders with the technical solutions and knowledge they need to innovate the way products are designed and made.

VISION
A world where safe materials and products are designed and manufactured in a prosperous, circular economy to maximize health and wellbeing for people and planet.

MISSION
To lead, inspire and enable all stakeholders across the global economy to create and use innovative products and materials that positively impact people and planet.

The Institute is headquartered in Oakland, California and Amsterdam, the Netherlands with offices in Washington DC. Our work is funded through program fees and the support of foundations and sponsors.

How we design and make products today shapes the world we will inhabit tomorrow.

Cradle to Cradle Certified® is the global standard for products that are safe, circular and responsibly made.

Leading brands, retailers, designers and manufacturers across the value chain rely on the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard to ensure the impact of their products on people and planet is a positive one. For more than a decade, Cradle to Cradle Certified® has been helping companies to innovate and optimize materials and products according to the world’s most advanced science-based measures.

Cradle to Cradle Certified® assesses the safety, circularity and responsibility of materials and products across five categories of sustainability performance:

Material Health:
Ensuring materials are safe for humans and the environment

Product Circularity:
Enabling a circular economy through regenerative products and process design

Clean Air & Climate Protection:
Protecting clean air, promoting renewable energy, and reducing harmful emissions

Water & Soil Stewardship:
Safeguarding clean water and healthy soils

Social Fairness:
Respecting human rights and contributing to a fair and equitable society