From Trash to Treasure: Rethinking Design with Cradle to Cradle

Why are we still designing electronics to be disposable? This micro talk explores how products can be designed with Cradle to Cradle principles from the very start – making them circular, safe, and user-friendly by design, with positive impacts for both people and the planet.

Key Takeaways

1. C2C design is the first step towards making products truly circular.
2. Cradle to Cradle sparks innovation that goes beyond traditional recycling.
3. C2C design is achievable – even in the world of consumer electronics.

The donation-funded, non-profit Cradle to Cradle NGO has been advocating for a future-ready circular economy since 2012. Through education, networking, and hands-on projects, it brings the Cradle to Cradle approach into business, politics, and wider society. Its goal: a world in which products and processes are designed from the outset to be healthy and fair, with materials that can circulate continuously. This work takes shape through initiatives such as the recurring C2C Congress, the C2C LAB in Berlin, and the concert project Labor Tempelhof with Die Ärzte, which received a special award from the German Sustainability Prize in 2024. In 2025, IFA Berlin is expanding its commitment to sustainability and is entering into a partnership with the Cradle to Cradle NGO.