After completing studies in Process Engineering in
Darmstadt, Germany, Braungart went on to investigate the chemical processes of industrial production techniques with the Chemistry Department at
Konstanz, Germany. He subsequently led the formation of the Chemistry Section of Greenpeace International. By the time he completed his PhD in chemistry at the
University of Hannover in 1985, he had assumed leadership of Greenpeace Chemistry. In 1987, Braungart founded the EPEA Umweltforschung in Hamburg. At the heart of EPEA is
Cradle to Cradle Design, to create products oriented toward a life-cycle economy. In addition to his achievements with EPEA, Braungart also serves as Scientific Manager of the Hamburg Environmental Institute, the non-profit research center which produces the "
Top 50 Study". This study ranks the quality of environmentally sound production of companies within the chemical industry. He has initiated scholarly and scientific inquiry into the adverse environmental and physiological impacts of industrially produced consumer goods. Braungart also works together with American architect and designer
William A. McDonough in their product design and development firm, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. In partnership with McDonough, Braungart released the book
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things in 2002. ==Books==