What is Cradle-to-Cradle design, and how does it differ from recycling?
Braungart: Cradle-to-Cradle design means that, instead of minimizing damage, we create positively. Instead of waking up in the morning and apologizing for being human, we ask how can we be beneficial for other species. Its really sad how many people believe that humans are innately flawed. Yeah, its amazing. But when you think that way, you end up trying to be less bad. But less bad is not good. There are far too many people on this planet to just be less bad. What is downcycling? Downcycling is what happens when things are not designed for recycling. For example, the print chemicals for making paper were never designed for recycling, so when the paper is recycled the quality is deteriorated. So many things have already been designed and manufactured without their next use in mind. Are they doomed to become waste? We need to see that our waste management systems just perpetuate waste. So we talk about eliminating the very concept of it, and about waste supermarkets, where you could buy
