The book cradle to cradle is written by Michael Braungart and William McDonough. The central idea of the book revolves around the concept of sustainability and rethinking the way we design and produce products. The central idea of the book revolves around the concept of sustainability and rethinking the way we design and produce products.
Main general takeaways and in italicized font, my comments:
- Cradle-to-Cradle Design: The authors advocate for a new approach to design called “Cradle-to-Cradle,” which focuses on creating products that are not just less harmful but are beneficial for both the environment and society.
Comment: The book gives the impression that all companies either don’t want to or are too clumsy to create environmentally friendly products. However, this generally does not align with my observations. My observation is, that companies would very much like to produce more environmentally friendly products. They don’t add hazardous substances out of sheer malice or incompetence, but because hazardous substances often serve a function that is necessary for the product. - Biological and Technical Nutrients: The authors distinguish between two types of materials in the industrial process: biological nutrients, which can be safely returned to the environment (e.g., compostable materials), and technical nutrients, which can be continually reused in industrial processes without loss of quality (e.g., metals and plastics).
Comment: That´s basically a good idea and I think they support the consistency strategy, which tries to use better technologies rather than renounce on standard of living. However the difficult question stays, how this could be done. - Eliminating the Concept of Waste: The book challenges the traditional notion of waste, proposing that materials can be designed for perpetual cycles of use and reuse, thus eliminating the concept of waste altogether.
Comment: That´s basically also a good idea. However, there are also some principal hurdles, before this is useful. Often you do have either hygienical or ecological reasons not to cycle something over and over. Often it´s more ecological friendly to recycler close to the consumer and use in another product than bringing it back to the original use case. - Positive Environmental Impact: Instead of focusing solely on reducing the negative environmental impact, the authors argue for designing products that have a positive impact on the environment and human health.
Comment: I guess nobody sees why this shouldn´t be a good idea, but it´s unfortunately nor so easy to do this in the real world. Unfortunately, they give some examples but no method or approach how this could be done in a systematic way. - Redesigning Manufacturing Processes: Braungart and McDonough suggest rethinking manufacturing processes to minimize resource use, energy consumption, and environmental impact. This involves the use of renewable energy, efficient production techniques, and closed-loop systems.
Comment: As in the most cases resources or consumption have to be paid so therefore nearly all companies are already optimizing their resource consumption. It might be a good push to do here more in the direction of charging for free goods like air or like in some countries CO2 etc. - Examples of Cradle-to-Cradle Design: The book provides various case studies and examples of companies and products that have successfully implemented cradle-to-cradle design principles, showcasing the feasibility and benefits of this approach.
Comment: That´s perhaps one of the best parts in the book, that they provide some examples and share a bit of motivation to do changes in the own company. In essence, “Cradle to Cradle” promotes a paradigm shift in how we approach design and production, encouraging a more regenerative and sustainable way of creating and consuming products.
Final Comment:
The book is very motivational and provides interesting thoughts. However it sometimes gives the impression that the companies are either stupid or unwilling, which I don´t see in my daily life. Furthermore, often it is the consumer, not the company, who ultimately decides which product is successful in the market and if a product is too expensive it won´t be bought by the consumer. There might be the need for regulation, but the regulations must be introduced globally to ensure that regional businesses do not have a disadvantage. But of course, wherever possible the most eco-friendly solution should be selected.
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