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Cradle to Cradle: Design for Circularity
The Cradle to Cradle (C2C) concept was first developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart in the 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. They advocate for a regenerative design framework to eliminate the concept of waste and create enduring societal benefits.
The book is presented as a manifesto to inspire a new Industrial Revolution where industry and nature are viewed as interdependent systems, and design is the most powerful tool for creating a world of abundance, not limits.
The C2C design framework is characterized by three principles derived from natural systems:
- Waste Equals Food: Design products so materials are either safe biological nutrients or high-quality technical nutrients.
- Use Current Solar Income: Power all manufacturing and human constructs with clean, renewable energy (like solar, wind, or geothermal) rather than finite fossil fuels.
- Celebrate Diversity: Value and incorporate cultural, ecological, and material diversity in designs, ensuring products and systems are locally adapted, resilient, and effective.
The video below features Michael Braungart discussing his research and applications of the C2C concept.
And in this interview William McDonough describes the C2C framework and how design thinking is critical for successfully working with C2C, watch here.
Further reading, learning and references
McDonough, W. and Braungart, M. (2002). Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things https://mcdonough.com/writings/cradle-cradle-remaking-way-make-things/
William McDonough https://mcdonough.com/
Changemakers – Michael Braungart https://youtu.be/aeExIzkJxzY
© Daniel Mossberg, CEMUS, Uppsala University and Sonali Phadke, studio Alternatives and Stephanie Foote