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Michael Braungart at the German Gymnasium, King's Cross, London

Cradle to Cradle co-author Michael Braungart provocatively charmed a London audience last night, setting out  his seductive approach to saving the planet without revealing any of the nitty gritty of how it actually works.  ’It’s not about controlling people to be less bad, but about supporting people to be good,’ says Braungart. His partner, Bill McDonough, used the same line when I interviewed him last summer. They advocate ‘eco-effectiveness,’ not ‘eco-efficiency’ which Braungart equates to ‘rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.’

A chemist by background, Braungart founded EPEA which analyses products to determine their chemical makeup and relative toxicity. A Cradle to Cradle analysis of Mattel’s Polly Pocket toys revealed that they contain 30 carcinogens. ‘You don’t have to go to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction,’ he quipped. Braungart and McDonnough advocate ‘upcycling,’ not recycling. They have developed an edible fabric for Swiss airlines, which ‘you can chop up and eat with your muesli,’ according to Braungart. 

Q + A with a rapt audience after the lecture

I did manage to ask Braungart how many projects they have actually certified.  After some initial mumbling about the fact that it’s not about certifying (that’s only driven by the requirements of the USGBC, he says), Braungart said 600 products have been certified and another 3000 are in the pipeline.  ‘It’s exploded,’ he says, particularly in the Netherlands, Belgium, China and Taiwan.  The Dutch have declared that all public purchasing will be Cradle to Cradle by 2012.

I’m still curious to know how it works in practice. Clients Desso and Ahrend, who hosted a memorable evening in a wonderful venue, seem convinced and are busily putting Cradle to Cradle into action. Desso launched its first Cradle to Cradle carpet tile at Ecobuild this year, and a second range earlier this month.

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