Cradle to cradle

When I was still studying graphic design in school, we were assigned the project of reading Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The book spoke of true sustainability. It preached that designers should create with their products' end result—or in this case, "new beginning" result—in mind. Instead of landfill, rug—or chair or building materials or road.

Japanese company Oriental's idea is fairly simple: from paper to paper. Of course, you need adjectives to give it meaning. Used office paper can be repurposed and made into toilet paper. They have created a machine called White Goat that does this. The video below shows the machine in action. The price tag is extreme ($100,000), but it would be great if White Goat could be used in community planning (like placed in apartments and office buildings) for optimum use and impact. What do you think?

Image via übergizmo