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William McDonough

Chief Executive
McDonough Innovation

William McDonough is a world-renowned architect and designer, recently recognized as one of the 50 World's Greatest Leaders of 2019. Throughout his career, he has been considered a global thought leader in the articulation of design for Sustainable Development. He is recognized as a pioneer of the concepts of Cradle to Cradle Design™ and the Circular Economy notably co-authoring Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (2002), widely recognized as a seminal text of the circular economy design movement, and its follow up, The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing for Abundance (2013).

William McDonough is a globally recognized leader in sustainable design and development. He co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (2002), widely recognized as a seminal text of both the sustainability and the Circular Economy design movements.

McDonough advises leaders on ESG, sustainability, Circular Economy, and design of products and facilities through McDonough Innovation. He has worked with CEOs from companies such as Ford Motor Company, Gap, Google, Herman Miller, Hero MotoCorp, Proctor & Gamble, Starbucks, Unilever and Walmart.

He is also an architect with William McDonough + Partners, a firm known for having designed many notable landmark buildings of the sustainable architecture movement. Through McDonough’s third firm, MBDC, he created the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program. Cradle to Cradle Certified® is an independent, science-based, third-party, multi-attribute product standard recognized by the world’s leading retailers, including Amazon, Home Depot, Walgreens and Walmart.

He has been active with the World Economic Forum for 25 years and served as the inaugural chair of their Meta-Council on the Circular Economy. He has co-founded not-for-profit organizations, including GreenBlue, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and Fashion for Good, a joint-industry initiative aiming to transform the global apparel chain into a force for good.

McDonough received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the first U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003), the National Design Award (2004) and the Fortune Award for Circular Economy Leadership (2017). Time magazine recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet,” noting: “His utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world.”

William McDonough is tagged in 8 assets.
Article
Brand Leaders, Visionaries Gather to Help Sustainability Practitioners ‘Recenter & Accelerate’

This week at SB’22 San Diego, over 1K sustainability practitioners have converged to share insights, tools, inspiration and opportunities for collaboration with the goal of building a regenerative future for all. On opening night, luminaries from a... View More

Article
AI, Biomaterials, Circularity: The A-B-Cs of a Flourishing Future

On Monday and Tuesday at SB’19 Detroit, dozens of encouraging stories and divergent strategies emerged from the growing roster of organizations on a mission to improve some of our most common products and services. ... View More

Video
A Bold New Vision for the Collection, Processing, Circularity and Productivity of Plastic Waste

Hear the latest from the one and only William McDonough, the globally recognized thought leader on sustainable design and cradle-to-cradle circular thinking. Get the scoop on an ambitious new vision aiming to tackle plastic waste at scale.... View More

Article
MBDC, Toxnot Collaborate to Optimize Supply Chain, Material Transparency

An end-to-end solution — from supplier to sustainable product certification, designed to clean up products and global supply chains — goes live. ... View More

Article
Good Scents: An Inside Look at Cradle to Cradle’s New Certified Fragrances

What do actress Michelle Pfeiffer; William McDonough, creator of the Cradle to Cradle® design framework and a pioneer of the circular economy movement; and perfume have in common? Likely nothing, until recently — when two newly launched products b... View More

Video
In Search of More Good: How and Why “Getting the Frame Right” is Essential in Design for the Good Life

For over two decades, Sustainable design guru William McDonough has led the charge, together with his colleagues, teams and collaborators in calling for the need and opportunity for us collectively to redesign the way everything in the world is made.... View More

Article
New McDonough-Waste Management Collaborative Focuses on Product and Packaging Innovation [Video]

During his plenary presentation last night at the SB '13 conference, designer, author and sustainability thought leader William McDonough announced a new partnership between McDonough Innovation and Waste Management, Inc — North America's largest e... View More

Upcoming Events

October 13-16, 2025
SB'25 San Diego
US Event
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Thursday, July 24, 2025
The ROI of Sustainability, Part 2: Sources of Financial Value and Effectively Communicating Analyses
Webinar
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Tuesday, July 29, 2025
From Aware to Empowered: Unlocking Sustainable Fluency Across Your Organization
Webinar
Sponsored by Eastman
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