68 4 Case Description and Within-Case Analysis
The first motivation is that the concept aligns with the company’s mission state-ment. Since its formation in 1947, the organization’s mission has been to ‘design
living space consciously’. The organization does this by manufacturing products
which do not harm the environment nor the health of the customer e.g. through the
emission of toxic fumes. Designing products to reflect the organization’s mission
statement meant the organization had already embarked on the first step towards the
Cradle-to-Cradle concept. Hence, achieving a certification required no big changes
to the organization’s products, as explained by the interviewee: “Getting products
certified within half a year was only possible because creating ecological, toxic-free,
healthy products has always been important to the organization. This meant our
products already fulfilled all requirements (...)” (see Appendix: German Quote 11).
Another reason for the organization to engage in the concept is the increasedusability. What prompted the organization to develop the product were not envi-
ronmental concerns but simply the need to facilitate the removal of the parquet. Up
until this point, the only way to remove the parquet from the floor resulted in it being
destroyed. Removing parquet was an exhausting job and reusing it was absolutely
impossible therefore the objective for the R&D team was to develop something to
facilitate removal. The result was a mat which is applied under the parquet. This
mat not only facilitates the removal of the parquet but also allows approximately
80 percent of the wood to be reused. This new product significantly increased the
customer value while also being environmental beneficial.
Furthermore, the organization identified a competitive advantage/positivebrand image which is the third and last motivation. When the interview took
place, case Gamma was the only organization in the parquet industry engaging
in this concept and their products were the only ones offering the features and
benefits of a Cradle-to-Cradle certificate. By following the company-own mission
and pursuing the Cradle-to-Cradle certification for its products the organization
ensures that it is one to two years ahead of legislative regulations. This avoids dealing
with these regulations at the same time as all their competitors do and leads to a
positive brand image. The company representative explains it as follows: “With our
product development we are always ahead of our competitors which is a big advantage
(...). Of course this is also very important for our resume and the brand name of our
organization” (see Appendix: German Quote 12).