PLM Library · Book
Cradle to Cradle
Remaking the Way We Make Things
- Author
- William McDonough, Michael Braungart
- Publisher
- North Point Press (Macmillan)
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 978-0-86547-587-8
Summary
An architect and a chemist argue that 'less bad' eco-efficiency is not enough, and that products should instead be designed from the start so their materials can circulate safely and indefinitely.
The book introduces the idea of two material cycles — biological nutrients that can return safely to nature and technical nutrients that can be recovered and reused in industry — extending design thinking far beyond a product's first useful life.
Our verdict
Recommended reading. The foundational, highly readable manifesto behind circular design; it reshapes how you think about materials and end of life, even if it offers little implementation detail.
Who should read it
- —Product designers and engineers working on sustainable design
- —Sustainability and innovation leaders setting circular-economy ambitions
- —PLM leads preparing for material compliance and end-of-life requirements
How it relates to your work
- —Frames why material composition, disassembly and recovery data belong in product definitions.
- —Provides the conceptual basis for circular design criteria and Digital Product Passport thinking.
Keep in mind
- —Visionary and persuasive rather than a practical method or toolkit.
- —Predates current regulations such as ESPR; pair it with more recent, practical sources.