William McDonough

Michael Braungart

Remaking the Way We Make Things

Cradle to Cradle

A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism "Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as this provocative, visionary book argues, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world? In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are). Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, William McDonough and Michael Braungart make an exciting and viable case for change.

From the authors of Cradle to Cradle, we learn what's next: The Upcycle The Upcycle is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Cradle to Cradle, one of the most consequential ecological manifestoes of our time. Now, drawing on the green living lessons gained from 10 years of putting the Cradle to Cradle concept into practice with businesses, governments, and ordinary people, William McDonough and Michael Braungart envision the next step in the solution to our ecological crisis: We don't just use or reuse and recycle resources with greater effectiveness, we actually improve the natural world as we live, create, and build. For McDonough and Braungart, the questions of resource scarcity and sustainability are questions of design. They are practical-minded visionaries: They envision beneficial designs of products, buildings, and business practices—and they show us these ideas being put to use around the world as everyday objects like chairs, cars, and factories are being reimagined not just to sustain life on the planet but to grow it. It is an eye-opening, inspiring tour of our green future as it unfolds in front of us. The Upcycle is as ambitious as such classics as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring—but its mission is very different. McDonough and Braungart want to turn on its head our very understanding of the human role on earth: Instead of protecting the planet from human impact, why not redesign our activity to improve the environment? We can have a beneficial, sustainable footprint. Abundance for all. The goal is within our reach.

Beyond Sustainability--Designing for Abundance

The Upcycle

cradle to cradle: die Natur zeigt, wie wir die Dinge besser machen können

Einfach intelligent produzieren

The Upcycle: Auf dem Weg in eine neue Überflussgesellschaft

Intelligente Verschwendung

"Autos aus Autos? Schuhe als Düngemittel für unsere Balkonblumen? Zukünftig gibt es nur noch zwei Arten von Produkten: Verbrauchsgüter, die vollständig biologisch abgebaut werden können, und Gebrauchsgüter, die sich endlos recyclen lassen. Die Devise lautet: Nicht weniger müssen wir produzieren, sondern verschwenderisch und in technischen und biologischen Kreisläufen. Eine ökologisch-industrielle Revolution steht uns bevor, mit der Natur als Vorbild. Und was die beiden Fachleute in anschaulicher Weise darbieten, ist keineswegs nur graue Theorie, sondern das Ergebnis eigener praktischer Erfahrungen: Michael Braungart und William McDonough erproben seit Jahren mit Firmen wie Ford, Nike, Unilever und BP erfolgreich die Realisierbarkeit ihrer Ideen." -- Herausgeber.

Amory Lovins

Upward trending and volatile materials and energy prices, difficult credit conditions and the myriad opportunities of the digital revolution are combining to make a circular economy the key value driver for the coming decades. A New Dynamic makes the contemporary case for a profound shift from throughput to 'roundput', from ownership to access. The circular economy is enabled by disruptive information technology and the design of materials and products to flow in effective cycles and at high quality - 'made to be made again'. The size of the prize is in the billions of dollars of materials cost savings per year. A New Dynamic features some of the leading writers and practitioners in the field including Walter Stahel, Michael Braungart, Amory Lovins and Chris Tuppen. The volume contains contributions on understanding the model, business case studies, the performance economy, history and development and the entrepreneurial opportunities of these fluid times. This book is a mandated reader for the MBA in Innovation, Enterprise and the Circular Economy at Bradford University School of Management.

Michael Braungart

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