“Cradle to Cradle”. A Short Review

An excellent book.

“Cradle to Cradle” is a marvelous, thought-provoking book (by Michael Braungart & William Mc Donough) that should be a bible for any corporate CEO or anyone engaged in developing products and services. I will further assert that schools and colleges must teach the lessons in the book to students.

Our philosophy has changed since the Industrial Revolution.

The book’s foundation rests on the dramatic change in our thinking since the Industrial Revolution. While humans have always tried to exert some control over nature (agriculture, buildings, warfare, etc.), the desire for control has morphed into a passion for mastery over nature. This change in our philosophy has damaged the environment almost beyond repair.

Apart from this, we do not make products to last long or examine the nature of the ingredients at the ‘end of life.’ The authors call our mentality ‘cradle-to-grave.’ Because of the prevalence of this mentality, we are constantly polluting the environment and losing many vital products that we can reuse for other products or in the production cycle.

This process generates enormous waste, which we seek to incinerate or destroy.

We need a radical change.

The authors propose a radical change in our thinking, business practices, and lifestyles. They state that it is not good enough to do less harm; we need a radical overhaul of our lifestyle and philosophy. The authors then propose a five-step process for businesses to help companies adopt a ‘cradle-to-cradle’ philosophy.

Where do the authors need to improve in their noble aim of motivating us to change? While they illustrate their approach with a few case examples, notably Ford Motor Company, they focus on cases where they are involved.

They do not discuss the task and effort required for a company to change its philosophy from ‘cradle-to-grave’ to ‘cradle-to-cradle.’ What are the costs and benefits a company hopes to accrue?

How will this change address consumer behavior?

How will this philosophical change influence consumer behavior? I will illustrate this with two examples: cameras and mobile phones. I started photography using a film camera, which works even now. However, camera companies launch new models annually and hope consumers will upgrade their equipment much sooner than the useful life of a camera ends. Mobile phone manufacturers follow the same approach, teasing new features and enticing consumers to upgrade their phones. Most consumer durable manufacturers adopt the same strategy and build early obsolescence into their products.

The book needs to go further.

The authors must be more vocal about a crucial aspect of product development and advertising: tearing a product apart when it dies and recycling all or most components they would typically trash is insufficient. We need to slow down the endless cycle of new product launches and ensure they build products that last longer than they do today. However, this change conflicts with the pressure to increase profits and give investors better quarterly returns.

The book, however, is excellent and will give you much food for thought. However, the authors should address young audiences because they will live with the mess we are creating and don’t address consumers or the youth. The book goes far but needs to go further: the young, who can revolutionize society and business, will not read the book, which is a tragedy for the planet.

They do not address fundamental conflicts.

I changed my car last year. My diesel Renault Duster was 9.5 years old, and regulations forced me to change it. I wanted to buy Suzuki’s Jimny, but they launched a 5-door model instead of a 3-door version. After much humming and hawing, I bought a Kia Seltos.

While I like the Seltos, it is not my first choice because, unlike the Jimny, it is not a compact, four-wheel vehicle.

While chatting at the dealership, the GM suggested I change my Seltos after four years and upgrade to the latest model. When I asked him why, unless there was a dire need (like the launch of a 3-door Jimny), I should change my car before the end of its life, he shrugged his shoulders and informed me it was the norm to do so.

This interaction illustrates the fundamental conflict between commerce and pious words on sustainability and waste. There is no technical need to change your car after four years, but manufacturers need to entice consumers to keep buying; consumers desire the latest, shiniest gadget to show off, and we create a continuous cycle of ‘cradle-to-waste-to-grave.’

Present-generation politicians and businesspeople cannot and will not change this cycle; they have trapped themselves in a cycle that demands greater profits and income.

Only the young can smash the cycle of greed and waste.

Only the young can break this cycle, so we must address and educate the youth in a language they understand. If we don’t, we will be in trouble.

The book starts with an excellent dedication.

To our families,

and to all the children of all species for all time.

The dedication to the children of all species is splendid, but how do we help secure their future?