The Future of Sustainability

Author: Olga Blumhardt
Illustrator: Antimimosa

IFA Berlin partners with the NGO Cradle to Cradle to set a bold signal for a genuine circular economy in tech. In this interview, founders Nora Sophie Griefahn and Tim Janssen explain what the industry needs right now and how C2C technologies bring economy and ecology together.

"Future of Sustainability – Green is the New Standard" is one of four core themes of IFA 2025. More than just a green promise, it reflects a broader shift: anyone developing technology today has to take responsibility for resources, supply chains and product lifecycles. This is where IFA Berlin’s new partnership with Cradle to Cradle comes in. Based in Berlin, the organisation brings expertise in circular design and a clear vision: technology should be conceived from the outset as part of a functioning cycle. At IFA 2025, Cradle to Cradle will host keynotes, panels and discussions, and present a position paper outlining how circularity can become reality in the tech industry.

Nora Sophie Griefahn, Tim Janssen, what makes Cradle to Cradle different from traditional sustainability approaches like recycling?

Nora Sophie Griefahn: Traditional approaches aim to use fewer resources, emit less and generate less waste. Cradle to Cradle thinks differently from the start. We design products which, at the end of their use, can fully return to biological or technical cycles. 

Tim Janssen: It’s not about minimising waste, but preventing it entirely. Recycling only makes true sense in a C2C system – when materials are designed to be separated by type and reused without losing quality.

How far along is the home and consumer tech sector on this path?

NSG: Some companies are making good progress, others are just beginning. That’s why our partnership with IFA is so important: it gives us a stage to show how transformation can look in practice.

TJ: There are great examples. Last year, Liebherr introduced a modular freezer with a newly developed C2C cooling system. Companies like Miele, Philips and Bang & Olufsen are also showcasing C2C-ready products. But these developments take courage and time – often the entire product needs to be reinvented.

What are the biggest hurdles for companies implementing Cradle to Cradle?

TJ: The challenge lies in the details. A company must fully understand its product – from raw materials to supply chains to the business model. Often new logistics solutions or digital tools are needed to close cycles. It takes time, but it’s worth it.

NSG: Many believe C2C is more expensive – in reality, it’s cheaper long term. Today, environmental damage, resource loss, health impacts and biodiversity decline cause immense costs. With C2C, resources return to industry to be reused again and again, lowering raw material costs and enabling more profitable business models.

What do you hope to achieve at IFA as an NGO?

TJ: We want to inspire change and show that transformation is achievable and creates real value. IFA is the perfect platform because it brings innovation and industry together. We’ll host panels, present a position paper and engage companies in concrete solution-building.

NSG: IFA has the power to set the agenda and make C2C visible as an engine of innovation. Discussing true circularity as the new standard can spark significant change.

What’s in the position paper and who is it for?

NSG: It’s aimed at businesses, policymakers and civil society. It explains how Cradle to Cradle can be implemented in the tech industry – from design principles and economic potential to best practices. It’s also meant to inspire, giving industry confidence to think differently and take practical steps.

TJ: We want to draw a realistic yet ambitious picture of the future. That requires clear targets, strong alliances and a vision for scaling innovation. IFA is an important launchpad to engage the industry.

What political changes are needed for C2C to become the standard?

TJ: Policy is critical. The EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan states: “A circular economy starts at the very beginning of a product's life.” That’s exactly our approach, but C2C design principles are still not embedded in the EU Ecodesign Directive. We also need financial incentives for innovation – for example, tax breaks for investments that support EU circular economy goals.

NSG: And planning security. As long as conventional business models –
often supported by direct and indirect subsidies – remain more profitable than circular ones, little will change. 

What do you expect from IFA exhibitors and visitors?

NSG: Openness and curiosity. We want to inspire people to think differently and show that C2C is the foundation for future-ready technology. 

TJ: Companies investing in C2C today will be the leaders of tomorrow. Trade shows like IFA can act as multipliers, playing a key role in making innovation visible and enabling real transformation •

Founded in 2012 by Nora Sophie Griefahn and Tim Janssen, Cradle to Cradle is an NGO whose mission is to design products and processes that prevent waste from the outset. Instead of focusing on efficiency at all costs, the NGO advocates a radical rethink inspired by nature, where everything becomes a nutrient for something new.

Operating from its Cradle to Cradle LAB in central Berlin, the organisation has over 50 volunteer initiatives and an extensive network of businesses, policymakers and scientists. It runs the annual Cradle to Cradle Congress – the world’s largest C2C platform – and spearheads transformation projects such as the Labor Tempelhof concert series with bands like Die Ärzte and Die Toten Hosen. In 2025, Cradle to Cradle is partnering with IFA Berlin for the first time.

Visit www.c2c.ngo.com

Tim Janssen and Nora Sophie Griefahn

Panels, keynotes, discussions and the new position paper on making circular tech a reality.

Programme Highlights:

• Serving the Consumer, Preserving the Planet – Electrolux Group
  5 Sept, 14:15, Innovation Stage 
• Right to Repair: A 360° Industry View – Wertgarantie & Handelsverband Technik
  6 Sept, 16:15, Dream Stage 
• AI, Built – Tuya
  8 Sept, 14:30, Dream Stage 
• Scene Setter: The Future of Sustainability – WGSN
  9 Sept, 10:45, Dream Stage 
• The Future of Impact: AI for a Sustainable & Inclusive World – Impact Hub Berlin
  9 Sept, 14:30, Dream Stage