Page 36 from: Recycling International May/June issue 2023
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‘The world has welcomed the circular
economy with open arms. It’s amazing
to see and, to be honest, I didn’t
quite expect positive change to take
such a big leap in such a relatively
short time.’ Despite the upbeat asser-
t...
‘The world has welcomed the circular
economy with open arms. It’s amazing
to see and, to be honest, I didn’t
quite expect positive change to take
such a big leap in such a relatively
short time.’ Despite the upbeat asser-
tion, Braungart starts the conversation
by acknowledging innovation doesn’t
happen overnight, not even the inter-
net. ‘And it took about 500 years for
mankind to understand that the earth
is not flat,’ he adds with a laugh.
‘People can be really stubborn.’
TIDAL WAVE OF EFFORT
‘I’m both humbled and proud at the
rate of our success. There are some
200 companies officially listed by our
Cradle-to-Cradle Centre representing
almost 16 000 certified products.
Many new frontrunners are filing pat-
ents for innovative products every
year.’
Yet Braungart insists: ‘Please don’t
think it was all my doing. I have a
great team, including my business
partner William McDonough. And let’s
not forget the hard work Ellen
McArthur has done with her founda-
tion – it has helped inspire people
around the world.’
Braungart recalls how McArthur raised
funds and used her popularity as a
prominent sportswoman to promote
his ideology. ‘I would say about 80%
A U T H O R Kirstin Linnenkoper
Michael Braungart: ‘My biggest
enemies are people running
sustainability departments.’
