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<\/p>\nCradle to Cradle developer Michael Braungart is ending his career as professor of eco-design at Leuphana University of Applied Sciences in L\u00fcneburg after more than 30 years. He will remain there as a visiting professor and will continue to supervise doctoral students working on Cradle to Cradle.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At his farewell lecture in early February, he shared an important piece of wisdom with his students: “For decades, no one appreciated what I was doing. Now I can collect every award except perhaps the Nobel Prize. So don’t try to be proud, don’t wish for appreciation. Do what you think is right. Only then will you be innovative.”<\/p>\n
Michael Braungart is the head of the Cradle to Cradle design concept, which enables people to create a world full of healthy products. The concept of \u201cwaste\u201d does not exist in this context; there are only nutrients for technical and biological cycles. C2C is a design concept that focuses on health and positive design, and is now being applied successfully in business. After decades of persuasion and perseverance, the principles of this concept are finally being reflected in laws such as the EU’s Green Deal and in corporate philosophies.<\/p>\n
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Foto: Jasper Gro\u00dfmann<\/p><\/div>\n
The lineup of speakers in L\u00fcneburg that day is proof that entrepreneurs see the concept as an economic model. Michael Braungart acknowledges this \u2014 and at the same time demands more: Addressing J\u00f6rg Witth\u00f6ft, senior manager at automotive supplier ZF Group, he says that ZF is currently laying off many people instead of utilizing their brainpower to turn a car back into a car. The ZF representative might have found this criticism a little hard to swallow, because only a short time before, he was able to proudly report how the company has designed and reworked truck clutches so cleverly that 98 percent of them can be reused without melting them down.<\/p>\n
Braungart himself is aware of his \u201cloose tongue\u201d and that he sometimes offends people. For Richard Arnold, mayor of Braungart’s hometown of Schw\u00e4bisch-Gm\u00fcnd, this is not necessarily a bad trait. He said to Braungart: “You are radical without being dogmatic, provocative without being hurtful, visionary without losing touch with reality. “<\/p>\n
Listening to his speech and the contributions of his companions, one gets the impression that Michael Braungart is never satisfied, that things are never moving fast enough for him. One might think that in his decades-long effort to convince business, politics, and society of Cradle to Cradle, he might have sometimes despaired and wanted to give up. If that was the case, there is no sign of it in his farewell speech at Leuphana. The explanation for this could lie in the concept itself: \u201cC2C is fundamentally different because we accept a view of humanity that is useful and not just less harmful.\u201d And further: \u201cI want us to have a big footprint, but one that becomes a wetland. Not a small one. I want to be good through my existence, not just through active action.\u201d<\/p>\n
With his departure from Leuphana, Michael Braungart is passing on the important task of finding further solutions for healthy, C2C-compatible products to the next generation. Several young students presented their research projects. They are working on a variety of solutions \u2014 for example, for health-friendly tire abrasion, for a biodegradable elastane substitute, for recyclable ship cabins, and for harmless plastic. According to Braungart, the mere focus on finally wanting to do things well and not just better is a paradigm shift. \u201cAs long as we have problems, we get money, which is why we think in terms of problems,\u201d he criticizes \u2013 and praises the students for their solution-oriented questions. He asks his guests indignantly: \u201cWe know we can do things that are healthy and positive, so why don’t we do them?\u201d It is now up to the young scientists to continue on this path \u2013 but thanks to the visiting professorship at Leuphana, they will still have the \u201cchallenging support\u201d of the thought leader, as one of the students put it.<\/p>\n
Words from the speakers and companions<\/strong><\/p>\n Foto: Jasper Gro\u00dfmann<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThank you, Michael, for creating the cradle-to-cradle concept. Otherwise, we would all \u2014 myself included \u2014 still be trying to make things just a little less bad.\u201d<\/em> \u201cLet’s make the world a better place by learning from each other and inspiring people around us.\u201d<\/em> \u201cAfter carpeting, tire abrasion is the topic Michael talks about most.\u201d<\/em> \u201cThank you for the insight that one has to change something before one can improve it.\u201d<\/em> \u201cMichael Braungart is thought provoking. He gives food for thought, which is why he is innovative and important.\u201d<\/em> \u201cMichael, you were an influencer before the term even existed. You are the master of productive irritation.\u201d<\/em> \u201cMichael Braungart has influenced the struggle to understand sustainability in science and society. He always sought real-world references (…) This practical orientation has remained a defining feature at Leuphana. (…) Communication has always been an integral part of his understanding of science. The debates were not always comfortable for us as a university, but they were an expression of our scientific discourse.\u201d<\/em> Further links:<\/p>\n To Michael Braungart’s homepage<\/a><\/p>\n To the C2C NGO homepage<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cradle to Cradle developer Michael Braungart is ending his career as professor of eco-design at Leuphana University of Applied Sciences in L\u00fcneburg after more than 30 years. He will remain there as a visiting professor and will continue to supervise doctoral students working on Cradle to Cradle. At his farewell lecture in early February, he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-c2c","category-general-article","entry"],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl.jpg",2000,1500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-1536x1152.jpg",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl.jpg",2000,1500,false],"square-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-400x400.jpg",400,400,true],"vertical-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-400x600.jpg",400,600,true],"horizontal-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-600x400.jpg",600,400,true],"blog-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-820x500.jpg",820,500,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":" Cradle to Cradle developer Michael Braungart is ending his career as professor of eco-design at Leuphana University of Applied Sciences in L\u00fcneburg after more than 30 years. He will remain there as a visiting professor and will continue to supervise doctoral students working on Cradle to Cradle. At his farewell lecture in early February, he shared an important piece of wisdom with his students: “For decades, no one appreciated what I was doing. Now I can collect every award except perhaps the Nobel Prize. So don’t try to be proud, don’t wish for appreciation. Do what you think is right.…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Cradle to Cradle<\/a>, General Article<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"BLOG Team","url":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/author\/petra\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl.jpg",2000,1500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-1536x1152.jpg",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl.jpg",2000,1500,false],"square-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-400x400.jpg",400,400,true],"vertical-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-400x600.jpg",400,600,true],"horizontal-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-600x400.jpg",600,400,true],"blog-entry-image":["https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_IMG_1001_kl-820x500.jpg",820,500,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"BLOG Team","author_link":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/author\/petra\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Cradle to Cradle developer Michael Braungart is ending his career as professor of eco-design at Leuphana University of Applied Sciences in L\u00fcneburg after more than 30 years. He will remain there as a visiting professor and will continue to supervise doctoral students working on Cradle to Cradle. At his farewell lecture in early February, he…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10341"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10348,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10341\/revisions\/10348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monika-griefahn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260209_verabschiedung_braungart_leuphana_DSC09316.jpg\")
\nPaul Musenbrock<\/strong>, former research assistant in the \u201cC2C Model Region Northeast Lower Saxony\u201d project; PhD Leuphana University L\u00fcneburg<\/p>\n
\nRitu Sharma,<\/strong> PhD Leuphana University L\u00fcneburg<\/p>\n
\nErik Hansen,<\/strong> professor at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz<\/p>\n
\nJ\u00f6rg Witth\u00f6ft<\/strong>, senior manager at automotive supplier ZF Group<\/p>\n
\nStefan Schaltegger,<\/strong> professor at Leuphana University<\/p>\n
\nHarald Heinrichs,<\/strong> dean of the Faculty of Sustainability at Leuphana University L\u00fcneburg<\/p>\n
\nJelena B\u00e4umler,<\/strong> Vice President of Leuphana University L\u00fcneburg<\/p>\n