2023 OCTOBER ISSUE
BOOK REPORT
THE UPCYCLE
BEYOND SUSTAINABILITY - DESIGN FOR ABUNDANCE
BY
WILLIAM MCDONOUGH & MICHAEL BRAUNGART
Reported by: Andrew Sia
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From the Desk of the Publisher
This book report is the follow up of the same authors, William McDonough & Michael Braungart, from their first book, Cradle to Cradle. Without any question, sustainability and recycle are the main consideration for today’s business. We have to admit to put them in practice is very challenging as the world today is already being challenges with many crisis.
The extreme climate changes, the wars, the uncooperative from the three largest nations, China, India and the United States, also the biggest carbon emitters, are not helping the world to achieve the goal for improving the Earth’s environment.
We have to continue the route to make it happen and we hope that we may not be too late.
THE UPCYCLE
BEYOND SUSTAINABILITY –
DESIGN FOR ABUNDANCE
BY
WILLIAM MCDONOUGH
&
MICHAEL BRAUNGART
Available from Amazon
Paperback at $19.57
“The Upcycle” is the follow-up to “Cradle to Cradle”, one of the most consequential ecological manifesto of our time. Having gained the green living lessons from ten years after putting the Cradle to Cradle concept into practice with business, governments and communities, the two writers, William McDonough and Michael Braungart envisioned the next step in the solution to our ecological crisis. They pointed out what we don’t just use or reuse and recycle resources with greater efficiencies, but we should actually improve the natural world as we live, create and build.
Today’s company has to pay attention to its customers if its products are sustainable? You have to ensure your shareholders that you are aware of the challenges out there, and yet you have not forgotten to look after their interest. You have to guide your executives to sit through meetings to talk about product design, research and development, manufacturing, supply chain and finance sessions to put everything into consideration and the business process is viable.
You made the statement to cut carbon emissions by 50% in 2025, which is only less than three years away, and it is time now to see if it is still viable,
There are some mainstream companies who have partnered with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and they are examining progress in science-based targets globally. There are already 130 companies involved.
This book is the further extension of the last book, “Cradle to Cradle”, and also tell us stories without names and also with names, and their approach to improve environmental footprint globally. One of the stories is about Walmart, and defined ingredients in packaging in goods sold in the stores. They put the little certification stamp: “Cradle to Cradle Certified™.”
The book was using “the butterfly effect” to describe the idea and design of the product in its first stage. We might stop and marvel at the metamorphoses unfold in front of us, and yet it may not have any non-linear impacts on a complex system.
The only complain I have with this book is its writing which can’t be put into immediate practice. The contents are sometime too philosophical. I bet many of us don’t understand what is meant exactly by “the butterfly effect” as it is such an old saying.
We have to know that the author, William McDonough, is a global leader in sustainable development, and Michael Braungart is a scientist. The U.S President, Bill Clinton wrote the foreword for the book.