Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

“This book is not a tree. It is printed on a synthetic ‘paper’ and bound into a book format developed by innovative book packager Charles Melcher of Melcher Media[…]This material is not only waterproof, extremely durable, and (in many localities) recyclable by conventional means; it is also a prototype for book as ‘technical nutrient,’ that is as a product that can be broken down and circulated infinitely in industrial cycles—made and remade as ‘paper’ or other products.”

Cradle to Cradle, as a physical object, is an embodiment of the design and environmental tenets espoused by the authors. Every part of the book, from its pages to the glue in its binding, can be recycled in perpetuity. The authors call for a radical change in our recycling systems, and holding an object that can be “circulated infinitely in industrial cycles” gives the impression to the reader that the future they suggest is possible to achieve.

“The tree, among the finest of nature’s creations, plays a crucial and multifaceted role in our interdependent ecosystem. As such, it has been an important model and metaphor for our thinking, as you will discover. But also as such, it is not a fitting resource to use in producing so humble and transient substance as paper.”

Echoing the book’s theme about respecting nature, the authors explain why they did not use tree-based paper in the composition of their book. The authors exalt the tree as the ultimate symbol of eco-effectiveness. Practicing what they preach, the refrain from using wood-based paper in the creation of their book.

“It represents one step toward a radically different approach to designing and producing the objects we use and enjoy, an emerging movement we see as the next industrial revolution.”

Cradle to Cradle, as a physical object, was produced much differently than the majority of books available on the current consumer market. The authors see their book, and the production of books in general, as situated in larger industrial systems. The message of the authors’ book calls for a “radically different approach” to the ways we current produce and consume objects.