The World's 50 Greatest Leaders

Rank
24
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William McDonough

WGL05.19-24-William McDonough
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Founder, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, William McDonough (L) and model Frederique van der Wal attend the Fashion Positive Launch event at Gotham Hall on November 14, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage)Gary Gershoff—WireImage
  • Title
    Founder
  • Affiliation
    William McDonough + Partners

“Green” architecture arguably went mainstream thanks to McDonough, whose firms designed eco-friendly campuses for such giants as Nike and Ford. Today he’s a leading proponent of a “circular economy” in which sustainability drives all product design; he’s steering an effort to redesign plastics using materials that won’t pile up in our oceans and bloodstreams.