William McDonough

Revolutionary designer at the forefront of the movement towards a sustainable and economically sound industrial future

Author •
TED Speaker

The winner of three Presidential Awards in the U.S., William McDonough is a designer who truly understands the needs of modern society.

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What William McDonough's clients say

Here is some of the feedback from audiences and clients who have worked with William.

"Testimonial for 'Cradle to Cradle': One of the most influential recent books on design and environmentalism."

Alice Rawsthorn,

The New York Times

"Testimonial for 'Cradle to Cradle': A rare example of the inspirational book that actually is."

Steven Poole,

The Guardian

"Testimonial for 'Cradle to Cradle': With this book, McDonough and Braungart open our eyes to the way to genuine sustainability by the study of nature and mimicking her ways. This is a ground-breaking book that should be the Bible for the Second Industrial Revolution."

Dr David Suzuki,

Professor Emeritus,

University of British Columbia

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William McDonough's 2024 biography

William McDonough is a globally recognized leader in sustainable development. McDonough is trained as an architect, yet his interests and influence range widely, and he works at scales from the global to the molecular. McDonough is the architect of many recognized flagships of sustainable design, including the Ford Rouge truck plant in Michigan and NASA’s Sustainability Base, one of the most innovative facilities in the federal portfolio. He was the Inaugural Chair of the World Economic Forum’s MetaCouncil on the Circular Economy (2014-2016) and currently serves on the Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security.

McDonough has written and lectured extensively on design as the first signal of human intention. He was commissioned in 1991 to write The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability as guidelines for the City of Hannover’s EXPO 2000. In 2002 he co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, widely acknowledged as a seminal text of the sustainability movement, which was followed by The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability— Designing for Abundance (2013).

McDonough advises commercial and governmental leaders worldwide through McDonough Innovation. He is also active with William McDonough + Partners, his architecture practice in Charlottesville, VA, as well as MBDC, the Cradle to Cradle consulting firm co-founded with Michael Braungart.

He co-founded two not-for-profit organizations to allow public accessibility to Cradle to Cradle thinking: GreenBlue (2000), to convene industry groups around Cradle to Cradle issues; and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (2009), to expand the rigorous product certification program. In 2017 he cofounded Fashion for Good with the C&A Foundation, a joint-industry initiative which aims to transform the global apparel chain into a force for good based on Cradle to Cradle Certified™ to define its quality.

SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS

United States Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, President Clinton,1996
Hero for the Planet, Time Magazine, 1999
Benjamin Botwinick Prize for Ethical Practice in the Professions, Columbia University Business School, 2003
National Design Award, The Smithsonian Institution, Cooper-Hewitt Museum,2004
Presidential Green Chemistry Award, President George W. Bush (for work with Shaw Industries/Berkshire Hathaway), 2004
21st Century Visionary Science Leadership Award, U.S. EPA, 2008
Rachel Carson Environmental Award, Natural Products Award, 2013
J.N. Darling Conservation Award, National Wildlife Federation, 2014
US Green Building Council Leadership Award, 2016
Award for Circular Economy Leadership, World Economic Forum, 2017