MBDC Co-Founder William McDonough Discusses Cradle to Cradle Design™ With Bill Nye

William McDonough, co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking The Way We Make Things and co-founder of MBDC, was recently a guest on Bill Nye’s Science Rules! podcast. During the episode, Nye and his co-host Corey S. Powell asked McDonough about his diverse areas of impact, including product chemistry, plastics and packaging, and architecture. 

In addition to speaking about his work on accelerating the Circular Economy, McDonough told the story about the evolution of more than 20 years of working with Shaw Industries with MBDC, including the creation of their ‘We Take It Back’ program where they pick up healthy, Cradle to Cradle Certified™ flooring for carpet-to-carpet recycling. 

McDonough told Nye and Powell, that in designing these products, we go beyond just being efficient to also being effective. “When you look at efficiency, often it’s presented as being ‘less bad,” said McDonough. “Being less bad is not being good — you’re bad by definition just less so. We’re actually interested in being ‘more good.’”

Other Cradle to Cradle Certified highlights mentioned in the interview include Herman Miller and Designtex.

The conversation closed with Nye saying that William’s Cradle to Cradle Design™ Framework was “the key to the future.”

Listen to the conversation to learn more about Cradle to Cradle Certified as a framework for being ‘more good.”