The Netherlands doesn’t exactly lead the field when it comes to sustainability initiatives. Yet one radical new idea has taken root in public and private consciousness: the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) concept of William McDonough and Michael Braungart. So what is it about C2C that has so captured the imagination? The title of a documentary screened on peak-time Dutch TV in December 2006 sums up the basic idea: “Afval is Voedsel” (Waste = Food). In architecture as in manufacturing, the goal is to eliminate waste entirely, by ensuring that all constituent parts can be re-used in full, in a closed cycle, with no loss of quality. The ecological and economic benefits are being hailed by local authority planners and forward-thinking manufacturers alike.