Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

by William McDonough, Michael Braungart

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

published	2002 by North Point Press
binding	Paperback
isbn	0865475873 (isbn13: 9780865475878)
pages	208
description	Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that...more [close] Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better--say, edible grocery bags! In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually "downcycling," creating hybrids of biological and technical "nutrients" which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm--they're actually doing some good for the environment and their neighborhoods, and making more money in the process. Cradle to Cradle is a refreshing change from the intractable environmental conflicts that dominate headlines. It's a handbook for 21st-century innovation and should be required reading for business hotshots and environmental activists. --Therese Littleton
date added	12-07-06 edit book

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Lisa

Lisa rated it:

03/01/08

Read in February, 2008

Three stars doesn't quite do justice to this book. Its ideas merit five stars, but the text sags a bit and tends to repeat itself a lot, thereby losing some power.

What the text lacks in eloquence, however, it makes up for in tactility. I couldn't stop petting this book. Its "synthetic paper" pages felt so resilient and smooth and sleek. The authors chose to make a recyclable, "treeless" book from from plastic resins and inorganic fillers. It is waterproof and with a ce...more

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Daniel

Daniel rated it:

08/15/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: anybody with opinions on environmentalism, industry.

The central issue in this book is the notion that we can manufacture products and infrastructure that are really, actually good for the environment instead of simply being "less bad".

Here's an example of what on Earth that could possibly mean. In making paper, you have two options. (1) You can cut down a tree to make clean, high-quality paper, but on a large scale this involves massive deforestation and the annihilation of ecosystems. (2) You can recycle old paper. However, pap...more The central issue in this book is the notion that we can manufacture products and infrastructure that are really, actually good for the environment instead of simply being "less bad".

Here's an example of what on Earth that could possibly mean. In making paper, you have two options. (1) You can cut down a tree to make clean, high-quality paper, but on a large scale this involves massive deforestation and the annihilation of ecosystems. (2) You can recycle old paper. However, paper fibers get shorter and shorter the more they're recycled, requiring more and more environmentally-questionable chemicals (bleaches, stabilizers, etc.) to produce a product of less quality than the original. The authors call this "downcycling", which means just what it sounds like it means. Finally, the chemicals involved in the creation of either kind of paper remain in the environment long after the paper fibers themselves decompose.

So option (1) above is clearly bad, and option (2) is what they call "less bad". As an actually "good" alternative, they made their book out of some sort of inert plastic polymer that can be indefinitely recycled. The pages are as papery as plastic can be, and overall the book feels the way a book should. Maybe a little heavier than your typical 180-page book, but sturdier and waterproof. (I got hoisin sauce all over mine and it wiped right off.) Apparently, if you send this book back to the manufacturer it can be recycled into other books with close to zero loss in overall quality.

(I want to stress that this argument hasn't changed my overall view of recycling. In the absence of "good" options it still makes sense to pick the option which is least bad. I'll continue to downcycle my junk until it's possible to, uh, upcycle, even if that merely postpones the apocalypse instead of preventing it.)

This is a microcosm of what this book is actually about. Right now, we as a society are locked into a false choice between the standard capitalist notion of "progress" and the standard environmentalist notion of "sustainability". This book presents a third option that goes a long way towards reconciling the two. Rather than choose between progress and sustainability, why not design/engineer sustainability into products, buildings, and infrasrtucture?

The authors argue that this extra design effort can be economical for businesses when you consider the overall cost of manufacturing. They give the example of a manufacturing facility they designed in which the effluent water from the factory was actually cleaner than the influent. It took some extra money to design, but now the business doesn't have to pay regulatory fees or worry about how to dispose of its liquid wastes. Overall, that initial design effort saved them money.

I guess this review is getting a little long. Here is the punchline. Environmentalism and industry don't necessarily have to be arch-enemies. (I guess Captain Planet brainwashed me a little...) Intelligent systems design can create an industrial environment which is actually beneficial to local ecology. This book gets four stars rather than five because I wish it was longer. I wanted more details about specific things that have been/can be done in the service of this idea. Instead, the book is short and talks in broad strokes for a more skeptical audience than me.

I would love to loan this book to you.

...less

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3 comments

DJ rated it:

09/17/07

bookshelves: environmental, impactbooks

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

Cradle to Cradle condemns our current goals of product design as archaic and irresponsible and sets forth a new set of goals and principles highlighting truly sustainable design.

Since the Industrial Revolution, our products have been designed for one specific use and have been judged solely on their fulfillment of that particular use. Products are expected to last a certain amount of time and then are thrown 'away'. But what is 'away'? The usability of our products may have a limited life ...more Cradle to Cradle condemns our current goals of product design as archaic and irresponsible and sets forth a new set of goals and principles highlighting truly sustainable design.

Since the Industrial Revolution, our products have been designed for one specific use and have been judged solely on their fulfillment of that particular use. Products are expected to last a certain amount of time and then are thrown 'away'. But what is 'away'? The usability of our products may have a limited life span, but the materials of that product often last far longer. These discarded materials have many more effects on the environment than intended in their design.

McDonough and Braungart ask that we stop trying to be 'less bad' by reducing the toxic elements in our products and start being 'good' by removing those toxic elements, replacing them with environmentally nutritious ingredients, and creating products that are capable of being fully 'upcycled' to their original use. In this way, we completely eliminate the idea of waste.

The authors suggest that we divide the materials in our products into two categories: biological and technical ingredients. Biological ingredients are completely biodegradable and add to the health of the environment upon their disposal. Technical ingredients are completely reusable and are returned to manufacturers to reincorporate into new products. The two types of ingredients may be used in tandem in product design but must be capable of being fully separated at the end of the products life cycle. Inextricably mixing the two poisons biological ingredients and reduces the purity and usability of technical ingredients.

The authors point out that the industrial, one-size-fits-all method of product design is wasteful and unintelligent. By considering local conditions, manufacturers can allow their products to use the local environment to maximize their efficiency, fulfill the specific needs of users, and reciprocate and benefit the local environment as well.

McDonough and Braungart envision a world in which businesses sell long-term services instead of products. For instance, Sony would sell consumers 1000 TV hours, rather than a TV. The TV would be leased to the consumer but returned to the manufacturer when the products becomes outdated and the customer wishes to upgrade. Producers save on material costs, consumers get new products as often as they want, and spill-over costs are reduced to nil....less

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Phil

Phil rated it:

01/03/08

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: Captains of industry and environmentalists of any stripe

A very interesting book that ought to be required reading for anyone at least marginally interested in the environmental catastrophe we humans seem poised to create.

The authors' vision for a future of abundance challenges the long-established paradigm of environmentalist thought, conservation. They argue that the focus on conservation and efficiency is misguided, because under that paradigm we are still using damaging techonologies, only less of them. Instead we should be striving for what...more A very interesting book that ought to be required reading for anyone at least marginally interested in the environmental catastrophe we humans seem poised to create.

The authors' vision for a future of abundance challenges the long-established paradigm of environmentalist thought, conservation. They argue that the focus on conservation and efficiency is misguided, because under that paradigm we are still using damaging techonologies, only less of them. Instead we should be striving for what they call "eco-effective" systems; that is, systems that instead of resulting in toxic byproducts create residue that actively replenish our natural world. The ideal we should reach for is that of a cherry tree--a cherry tree creates far more blossoms than it needs to survive, yet those blossoms that go unused decompose and help the soil and surrounding ecosystem flourish.

In terms of approach, the book is clearly revolutionary, but I think it likely far more useful for designers and captains of industry (tellingly, the book is clearly written with the latter in mind) than the general public. Sadly, most of us are not in a position to make fundamental choices about the way our home and work environments interact with their surrounding ecosystems, at least not to the degree that would be necessary for implementing the vision suggested here.

We certainly need more designers and CEOs thinking long-term (one great aspect of the book is that eco-effectiveness is shown to be not just responsible but profitable), but until we have more executives on the vanguard it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a great deal more conservation happening on the consumer end. The best approach, it seems to me, would stipulate the following: when dealing with antiquated, polluting technologies (e.g. those that surround most of us for most of the day), utilize conservation strategies as frequently as possible; when presented with the opportunity to use ecologically effective technologies and energy sources, by all means, let your thirst be as insatiable as modern consumerism dictates....less

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Anthony

Anthony rated it:

01/22/08

Read in January, 2008

What's so appealing about Cradle to Cradle is the sheer optimism and creativity that guides each of the pages. McDonough and Braungart talk about how reading should be 'fun,' not in the schoolmarm-educator way, but in the tactile experience of flipping pages, holding a book in your hands, reading it in the bathtub or on your beach towel...and that's exactly what they've done with this durable bound, waterproof and biodegradable creation.

Such innovative design is the exact aspiration of th...more

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Dennis

Dennis rated it:

09/08/07

Read in September, 2007

Cradle to Cradle is a essentially book of questions, and a calling for people to not only re-think the way we make things, but to re-think the way we perceive ourselves as pitted against the natural world, rather than working with the natural world. The age old paradigm of conquering nature and bend (or in many cases break it) to fit our needs is outmoded,short-sighted, and, in fact, harmful not only to humans but the entire natural system.

The concept of Cradle to Cradle replaces the concep...more

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pat

pat rated it:

09/28/07

I saw a video of a lecture given by William McDonough at the Ted conference. Those TED videos are fantastic by the way. He blew me away with the brevity and clarity of his insight so I had to read his book. This is by far the best approach to environmentalism I have come across. The philosophy and methodology presented in the book is at once simple and realistic in his discussion of rethinking the way we approach design in all realms of production from soap to factories, and revolutionary in...more

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AK rated it:

03/10/08

bookshelves: world-and-mind-changers, year-o-readingness

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: industrialists, architects, engineers, chemists, environmentalists

cradle to cradle calls for a paradigm shift away from making industry "less bad" for the environment and toward thinking about how businesses can design facilities and create products that do active good for employees, customers and the earth. rather than a cradle-to-grave mentality in which a consumer buys something, uses it for a time and then disposes of it, a cradle-to-cradle approach in which all components of consumer goods are designed to become raw material for some other produ...more

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David

David added it

04/23/08

A very insightful book: With all the talk these days about Global warming this is a great book to read. <br />For many, in my opinion including myself, educated in similar thought processes dating back to beginnings of the industrial revolution has created many of the problems, as a world, we now face. The two authors try to break down these barriers and describe ways in which we can all treat the planet with a little more respect and develop new ways of thinking. The idea as they write,&q...more

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Jono

Jono rated it:

08/23/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: Designers

The authors tell an encouraging and interesting story about our approach to product development and use today. One where the product 'lifecycle' is from 'cradle' to 'grave' - a product is made and when it dies it goes 'away.' They give lots of good examples of a) why that is a bad thing and b) how we can do it better by opting for a cradle to cradle mentality.

What I liked most about this book was how they peeled apart the subtle metaphors that strongly affect our outlook today for products. ...more

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Nick

Nick rated it:

01/31/08

Read in January, 2008

Everyone on the planet should read this book. The authors, one a chemist, and the other an architect, have thought more deeply about what "green" truly means (in terms of the environment) than anybody else. What they say will surprise you. They are not big fans of recycling, for example, because most things that are recycled were not designed for same, and it takes a lot of energy to cycle them 'down' to a lower use (like recycling paper). Instead, they argue for designing products...more

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Pgennace

Pgennace rated it:

08/29/07

bookshelves: environment

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: everyone on the planet

Creates a new framework for analyzing environmental issues. It makes recycling and reducing waste seem sort of silly compared to completely shifting our system of production and output. I just wonder if it is possible to motivate corporations and people to think about their use of products enough to change things.

The western mind views goods as discrete, with a limited shelf-life, rather than something that can be part of a natural system. I liked their point that cultures that have rei...more

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Brian

Brian rated it:

02/12/07

bookshelves: loved-it

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2006

recommends it for: people who care about how they create and consume

This is a fairly broad-brush overview of an industrial design theory that the authors pioneered over their years of experience working with industrial companies to "clean up" their production processes. The idea, in a nutshell, is that all the outputs of a given process should be considered useful input for another. Or, as the authors like to say, "waste equals food."
They give some fascinating examples of how they have applied this theory to create industrial processes that...more

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Meghan

Meghan rated it:

12/12/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in November, 2007

This book has some wonderful ideas and concepts. One author is an architect, the other a chemist. They begin by explaining how our current recycling system is "less bad." They argue for a whole new thinking on the way we design products. Instead of creating things based on the current demand, products should be designed with it's next use in mind. One of their mantras is "waste equals food." They suggest making packaging that is biodegradable and that when a product's l...more

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Josh

Josh rated it:

01/10/08

Read in September, 2006

While I was not among the original rush of readers who flocked to this book back in 2003 I did get to it a couple of years ago. It instantly became one of my favorite books - I vividly remember the first time I held this book and I think that the material used really helps trigger a shift in the thought process of the reader (of course it would be even cooler if the book could be recycled now). I actually wrote an essay last year for an application to a graduate program on this book. This is ...more

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Ben

Ben rated it:

08/15/07

Read in October, 2003

Though this book has been inspirational for a lot of people, shifting paradigms about the relationship between energy being produced and energy being used - I still feel that McDonough has created a monster with this book; the marketing of words like 'green' and 'sustainable'.

It seems Cradle to Cradle started a whirlwind of architects and cities racing to be the 'greenest,' without setting up actual standards for this classification via federal government. There is LEED, but it is a priva...more

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Michelle

Michelle rated it:

01/22/08

Read in September, 2002

This book talks about how our current manufacturing systems allow for very little recycling (did you know that the aluminum and steel cans that you throw in your recycle bin can't be turned into new aluminum and steel cans because the tops of the cans are made from different alloys than the cylindrical part?) and how these systems could be tweaked to allow for true recycling rather just down-cycling (those cans in your recycle bin get downgraded to low-quality metal that's not nearly as useful a...more

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Natalie

Natalie rated it:

09/05/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: dare i say everyone??!!

wow. this was published in 2002? where HAVE i BEEN? this book turns "environmentalism" on its head...in a wonderful and refreshing way...like a nice long hand stand :) the authors (one an architect, the other a chemist) bring you through a brief history of the industrial revolution and propose a "new" industrial revolution. to quote them: "once you understand the destruction taking place, unless you do something to change it, even if you never intended to cause such dest...more

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Nell

Nell rated it:

11/05/07

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: anyone and everyone!

An eye-opener for those of us who thought we were doing the right thing by reducing, reusing and recycling. Turns out we are just "being less bad" by "downcycling"--helping convert materials to a lesser use. For real sustainability, objects, buildings and systems must be designed to reuse materials indefinitely and take advantage of the traditions developed to use local materials and conditions. When this happens, commerce and industry and environmentalism are not in oppositi...more

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mcburton

mcburton rated it:

05/23/07

bookshelves: ecothinking

Read in April, 2007

recommends it for: manufacturers and consumers

I liked this book because it approaches environmentalism from a totally new perspective. Addressing production from end to end (Cradle to Cradle) is an art that we have recently forgotten with the advent of cheap, disposable plastics. I enjoy their critique of environmentalism, NOT waste less but waste NONE. My only complaint is that they do not provide enough detail about exactly how we might re-approach we might "remake the way we make things". Unless you are a large company than ...more

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avg rating (this edition): 4.28 (793 ratings)
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