A

B

Biodegradable: Waste that is composed of materials that occur naturally, are able to be decomposed by biological agents, and are absorbed into the ecosystem; e.g., wood is biodegradable, while plastic is not.

Biomimicry: Learning from nature to solve problems in design, business and life.

C

CARE (Carpet America Recovery Effort): A voluntary initiative of the carpet industry and U.S. government to increase recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet to prevent it from going to landfills. www.carpetrecovery.org

Certified Wood: Wood-based materials that are supplied from sustainably managed forests with documented chain of custody.

Chain of Custody: Documentation of the process of harvesting a raw material from a certified source through the entire manufacturing process until a final product is ready for sale.

Closed-Loop Recycling: Recycling system in which (1) a particular material is remanufactured into the same product (e.g., glass bottles remanufactured into glass bottles); (2) a used product or manufacturing waste is recycled into a similar product.

Cradle to Cradle: Term used in life-cycle analysis to describe a material or product that is recycled into a new product at the end of its defined life in a closed-loop process; this concept of "no waste," modeled after nature, was introduced by architect William McDonough.

Cradle to Grave: Term used in life-cycle analysis to describe the entire life of a material or product from creation through disposal (often before the end of its defined life) with no consideration of environmental responsibility.

D

Down-Cycling: Recycling a material for use in the production of a different product that will not be recyclable.

E

Embodied Energy: Energy initially required to extract, manufacture, transport and assemble materials and components; embodied energy in recycled products is captured when they are reused.

Environmental Footprint: Company's environmental impact, determined by the amount of depletable raw materials and nonrenewable resources it consumes to make its products and the quantity of wastes and emissions that are generated in the process.

Environmentally Preferable Product: Products that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose; product analysis may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, operation, maintenance, reuse and/or disposal.