Can one be pro business and manufacturing and still be an environmentalist? That is one of the questions answered in Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (North Point Press, 2002), by chemist William McDonough and architect Michael Braungart. The authors argue that environmentalists can embrace industry. They also debunk the idea that all manufacturing is inherently damaging to the Earth. McDonough and Braungart maintain that science and technology can be a friend to industry and the environment. Cradle to Cradle offers a new approach to everything from factory design to littering. The surprise is that not only does the environment profit from this approach, so do the manufacturing companies.

McDonough is suggesting we redefine consumerism. You can’t consume a TV or any electronic appliance. He wants us to look at these as “service” items. These items use huge amounts of expensive heavy metals and chemicals to manufacture. When we are done with them, they are placed in a landfill and all the expensive materials are wasted. McDonough argues for placing these “service” items in a closed system, where the components would be viewed as technical nutrients. These nutrients would be reused (not recycled). They would be harvested from reclaimed hardware. Rather than purchasing a television, you would lease it, and when it came time to upgrade, you would return the old one for a new model. The old item would have its “technical nutrients” harvested and the new appliance could be enjoyed guilt free. In this way, one could consume without creating waste. The only byproduct would be an improved economy. Factory workers would benefit by continued employment; companies would benefit through increased profit margins. Guilt-free consumers would stimulate the economy while protecting the environment.

Cradle to Cradle does not attempt to re-train the human race; rather it outlines ways we can benefit from human nature, by looking to nature. A tree creates more energy than it uses; it filters water and provides for other organisms. Why can’t our homes and offices do the same thing? This book offers ideas on how to redesign our most polluting factories using nature’s factories - trees - as a model.

This book characterizes textile production as one of the most polluting industries. McDonough and Braungart designed a textile factory where the effluent from the factory is cleaner than the water entering the factory from the municipal source. This factory is actually acting as a filter and purifying the water it uses, thus enabling the factory to reuse the water again and again.

Cradle to Cradle examines not only our industry, but our actions as well. In China, littering is a major problem. There is not a reliable infrastructure for the removal of paper waste. The countryside is littered with cups, bowls and other non-degradable litter: making the land a constantly shifting sea of trash. China also has a problem with soil erosion. Cradle to Cradle argues for using one weakness as a solution for another. McDonough suggests, rather than retraining littering humans, use them to amend soil erosion. He proposes using rice straw, currently a waste product of farming, to manufacture disposable cups, plates, etc. He also suggests embedding nutrients and seeds in these products. When humans litter they will be enriching the soil as the litter quickly decomposes, encouraging the growth of native plants. The environment thus benefits from a human flaw, rather than being damaged by the same flaw.

Cradle to Cradle even offers a redesign on books. McDonough’s and Braungart’s book is printed on a special material that is waterproof, does not tear and could be reused easily. If the book were boiled, the ink would come off, and a new book could be printed in its place. Now, for bibliophiles this may not sound very appealing, but think of school text books being printed on this material or other texts that have similar ephemeral value. We could cut down on waste and on the need for pulp-based materials.

McDonough is asking the reader to look at the Earth as a closed system, comparing us to a fish in a small bowl. What we release in the form of stored energy (oil) remains in the system. This energy can cause climate change and other disasters. Our current direction has motivated us to invade rather than innovate. Cradle to Cradle offers suggestions on how to replace our reliance on oil and coal with new technologies. If the United States were to spend a portion of the over $400 billion spent on weapons annually on innovation, we could be leading a new industrial revolution; one where the environment does not lose.