Architect William McDonough, along with his co-author Michael Braungart, introduced the concept of the circular economy in their groundbreaking 2002 book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, Speaking about his career at Circularity 2025 in Denver, McDonough reflected on the slow, but steady progress toward designing things for their next use, not the “end-of-life,” saying “Change happens at the speed of trust.”

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Can’t get enough of McDonough? We can’t! Check out this 2021 interview reflecting on the lessons from Cradle to Cradle.