In 2002, William McDonough and Michael Braungart launched the design framework known as “Cradle to Cradle” in their seminal book of the same name, challenging the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world. Since then, the ideology has taken root around the world (and McDonough and Braungart took it a step further in 2013’s The Upcycle), and expanded to inform the principles of a circular economy – applicable to all industrial products, services and processes in existence.
As the potential implications of a shift to circular models continues to dominate the business conversation, one of the founders of the ideology has decided it’s time to uplevel the conversation on upcycling.
Join us for a series of Sustainable Brands “fireside chats” with William McDonough, where the visionary architect and designer discusses the pivotal role of Cradle to Cradle thinking in the marketplace, along with case studies, applications, misconceptions and new developments in the field.
Bill has invited the Sustainable Brands community to join the discussion, to pool our collective creativity and ingenuity to help move the conversation – and implementation – to the next level, so we invite you to submit questions to help us frame each discussion.
What You Will Learn:
Tune in to hear Bill’s insights, vision and advice on a number of topics related to the shift to a Cradle to Cradle approach to business, including:
William McDonough, Architect, Designer, Thought Leader and Author, Cradle to Cradle and The Upcycle
A globally recognized leader in sustainable development, William McDonough is Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Meta-Council on the Circular Economy. Time magazine called him a “Hero for the Planet,” noting: “His utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that — in demonstrable and practical ways — is changing the design of the world.”
McDonough has written and lectured extensively on design as the first signal of human intention. He was commissioned in 1992 to write The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability as guidelines for the City of Hannover’s EXPO 2000, still recognized as a touchstone of sustainable design. In 2002, McDonough and Michael Braungart co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, widely acknowledged as a seminal text of the sustainability movement. Their latest book, The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability — Designing for Abundance was released in 2013.
McDonough advises commercial and governmental leaders worldwide through McDonough Innovation. He is also active with his architecture firm, William McDonough + Partners; as well as MBDC, the Cradle to Cradle® consulting firm co-founded with Braungart. Together they also co-founded two not-for-profit organizations to allow public accessibility to Cradle to Cradle thinking: GreenBlue and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
In 2012, McDonough was invited to become the subject of Stanford University Libraries’ first “living archive,” a real-time collection of his work.
Thank you for your interest in this special Sustainable Brands webinar. Recorded webinars are always available after the live webinar in SB Library.