Michael Braungart is a professor of ecodesign at Leuphana University in Lüneburg. He is the founder of BRAUNGART EPEA – Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH in Hamburg, the birthplace of Cradle to Cradle. In addition, he is a co-founder and scientific director of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) in Charlottesville, Virginia (USA), as well as the founder and scientific director of the Hamburg Environmental Institute (HUI).

Michael Braungart is one of the two founders of the Cradle to Cradle design concept, which forms the basis for the European Union’s Green Deal and Circular Economy program. Together with organizations and companies from various industries, Michael Braungart designs eco-effective products, innovative business models, and intelligent material pooling. For his work, he was honored in 2007—along with William McDonough—as a “Hero of the Environment” by Time Magazine.