Synopsis

The waste we release does not simply vanish; it cannot, because the Earth is a closed system. It seems to disappear only because we disperse it with water, cover it with soil, or allow it to be carried away by the wind. But ultimately, we inevitably encounter it again in our drinking water, the air we breathe, our food, and within our own bodies. In the documentary *Tegenlicht*, designer William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart present a solution to this problem: the principle of waste as