Michael Braungart: designers are way too modest when it comes to cradle to cradle

Together with Bill McDonough, Michael Braungart wrote the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. Increasingly more organisations are realising that they can benefit from Cradle to Cradle (C2C) ecologically as well as financially. But what is the role of C2C in the current economic crisis? And what can designers do to help? Diana den Held sits down with Michael Braungart for a candid interview.

“In a crisis, besides hoping for change, there is always much fear and uncertainty. People quickly fall back on some medieval behaviour. And then, they aren’t creative, funny or innovative. They just keep doing what they were doing before the crisis.

Only when you see that going down the same road is not to your advantage do you go looking for solutions, and only then can you overcome your fear. I’m not trying to say that this will inevitably lead to innovation, but it has happened before,” explains Michael Braungart.

With the implementation of Cradle to Cradle, have you already seen changes due to the crisis?

“We have mostly noticed a positive movement. Many companies and organisations now see how important it is to make clients loyal by collaborating with them and addressing their needs. At Desso, a Dutch carpet manufacturer that has made the switch to Cradle to Cradle, we can see that they’ve increased their profits in a declining market.”

And that can’t just be consumers being environmentally conscious all of a sudden in such times…

“No, but they are more aware of quality. As a consumer you are more careful with spending and actually nobody wants a carpet that stinks and is toxic for you and your environment. So much is going wrong now that people want to make the right choices. As a manufacturer you can bring about change.”

Are you saying that the financial crisis can bring out the best in us?

“Possibly. There is a good reason to be afraid of what is happening now. But if you realise that fear paralyses you and delays the possibilities of change, then you know you have to take action.

It is on this point that architects, designers and developers should see the crisis as an opportunity. Of course, sometimes you can’t move as fast as you’d like, but you can pick up the pace by collaborating. Creativity and collaboration take over the main role from capital. Even in the traditionally conservative chemical industry Cradle to Cradle is now high up on the agenda.”

What role can designers play in this turnaround?

“Although designers are often seen as having an enormous ego, I think they are much too shy when it comes to the environment and raw materials. They arrange a collection of toxic materials a little differently and call that design. It’s time to show some ambition. At the moment, we need designers who can make good things, who can get other people organised and change processes, people who want to be a part of it, and not just ‘make things a little nicer’.”

Young designers often make their first designs by hand, as a prototype. But then, their idea is successful and mass production is just around the corner. They could easily fall into the ‘old’ processes of the big production companies. What do you recommend?

“Making that first design is always a great phase. But then, you have a relationship with your design and get a deeper connection, which is vital. Only then can you have a romantic affair with a first product design and move on to a serious relationship. Here as well there is a question of ambition. Do you want to continue to act like a teenager where you pick something up and drop it quickly or do you want to grow up? I think designers are happier when they don’t just take part in a small part of the process.”

Does the design world need a different attitude?

“Today there is major pressure on designers – much is expected from them. They want to be artists. They want to be creative. They have to be entrepreneurs, managers and be able to deal with clients. And then there is also their ego – enough factors to make anybody doubt themselves.

This is why I think we need a change in studies. We need different types of designers. For example, communication design is already a separate discipline, but more qualifications are needed, such as ‘material flow’ designers who can form a team with the artists, design managers, etc. A more diverse group is needed. Competing, as a designer, on way too many different levels basically generates mediocrity.

There can’t be just one hero that everyone worships. Then you get a person who tries to overcompensate for all their shortcomings. Focus on your strengths, discover your shortcomings and find people who can help you with them.”

Many young designers feel that they lack knowledge to work with Cradle to Cradle. You often hear questions, such as “I know that the right materials are there, but where can I find them? How should I work with biologically degradable ‘plastic’?”, etc. What do you recommend to them?

“When people ask these kinds of questions, express the desire to holistically make good design, they already have 50% of what they need. I can’t emphasise often enough that they don’t have to do everything themselves. History shows that real innovation always came from teams, not from individuals. You sometimes saw an individual in the foreground, but there always was a team standing behind them. This mechanism also holds true now: on your own at a certain point you’re only working on changing existing things.

For designers already more into the design stage, much more C2C material knowledge can be found in the database at Material Connexion in a.o. Milan. But again, don’t take types of materials as a starting point in your concept phase, as it hinders your thinking. What is not available now will be there in a few years, especially if you ask as a designer.”

Is that the top tip for designers who want to design in a more Cradle to Cradle way?

“Yes. Start by being more arrogant and ask questions about the stuff you’re working with. Just say, “I don’t want to use that material” and get a movement going. For example, if you look at brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani, what comes out of the plant and goes into the shops is just hazardous waste.

Almost every famous design brand is due for some serious innovation. Designers have influence there. Ask for materials that you can wear on your body that are suitable for people. Design products for a house or workplace where the indoor air is actually healthy. As a designer, you are a user of materials developed by others. Put them to work.”

But how do designers obtain alternative materials?

“Why would you let your designs be influenced by the availability of a certain type of material? It is a form of expression of design, not the key. State your wishes and requirements with your design. Point out the shortcomings – it doesn’t need to be 100% perfect. By wanting to have it perfect the first time around you’re just blocking and delaying yourself. As long as you mention when and where you want to introduce changes you can have a look at it together with others. Take intermediate steps, but don’t compromise your vision.”

OK. Designers can influence the development of the right materials. But what can they do themselves now concretely also considering the crisis?

“As a designer you don’t just shape things, you can also influence the material flow. That doesn’t mean that everything has to go back into the biosphere per se. You can also use materials that aren’t degradable as long as they can go back into the technosphere. This means making your design so that it can be taken apart.

For example, building a television set without copper is impossible nowadays, but building a television set that’s easy to get the copper out of can be done. Copper is rarer than oil, which you really don’t want to lose in a garbage dump. You want to be able to get it back to the plant and get it out of the device as easily as possible. To do so you need a good design. It isn’t that difficult to calculate how you can profit from that.”

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Remark:
This conversation took place in february 09. The article (.pdf) was written for Tutto Bene, to assist their presentation at the Salone del Mobile in Milan.