Circular Design Quotes

“In the end, the term 'circularity' may just be one way to make us aware that we need a more encompassing, integrated and restorative sustainability path that includes people as much as technology and nature.”
― Michiel Schwarz, A Sustainist Lexicon

“In business, as is the case in nature, circularity amplifies profit.”
― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth, Business Essentials

“Circularity is a key component of what makes forests inherently sustainable. And in the same way, circularity is a key component of what makes businesses inherently sustainable.”
― Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth

“Cradle to Cradle is like good gardening; it is not about “saving” the planet but about learning to thrive on it.”
― Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

“Design is the first signal of human intention. When we look at plastics in our environment, if it's our intention to do these things then we must question our intentions. If it's not our intention, then what's our plan? The question becomes how we can behave in a way that works.”
― William McDonough

“When you talk about “saving the planet” you turn it into an ethical question, and I think you won’t solve problems if they are ethical.”
― Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

“what most people see in their garbage cans is just the tip of the material iceberg; the product itself contains on average only 5% of the raw materials involved in the process of making and delivering it.”
― Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

“The design intention behind the current industrial infrastructure is to make an attractive product that is affordable, meets regulations, performs well enough, and lasts long enough to meet market expectations”
― Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

“as a buyer you got the item or service you wanted, plus additives that you didn’t ask for and that may be harmful to you and your loved ones.”
― Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

“Once you understand the destruction taking place, unless you do something to change it, even if you never intended to cause such destruction, you become involved in a strategy of tragedy. You can continue to be engaged in that strategy of tragedy, or you can design and implement a strategy of change”
― Michael Braungart, Willian McDonough

“Unless materials are specifically designed to ultimately become safe food for nature, composting can present problems as well.”
― Michael Braungart, Willian McDonough

“This “solution” to pollution – dilution – is an outdated and ineffective response that does not examine the design that caused the pollution in the first place. The essential flaw remains: badly designed materials and systems that are unsuitable for indoor use.”
― Michael Braungart, Willian McDonough

“Increasingly we are acknowledging that people (and their technologies) are just as much part of our 'ecologies' as are nature and the physical features of our planet.”
― Michiel Schwarz, A Sustainist Lexicon

“As the 'circular' approach to sustainability begins to gather ground, we humans are finding ourselves within the circle, not without.”
― Michiel Schwarz, A Sustainist Lexicon

“So-called 'circular' approaches - to the city, the economy, design - extend well beyond just limiting environmental impacts. They take on a more systemic, cyclical view of how physical and biological processes, together with human interactions, give rise to sustainable living environments - forming a complete self-sustaining 'ecosystem', like a closed circle.”
― Michiel Schwarz, A Sustainist Lexicon