Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things is a book by German Chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough. It is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value. This is based on a system of "lifecycle development" initiated by Braungart and colleagues at the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in the 1990s, which has been cited by the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in its early 1990s publication "A Technical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment."

In addition to describing the hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable, the book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality—in cradle-to-cradle cycles.