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The article explains carbon footprinting, the complexity surrounding it and the possible benefits it could have in sustainable consumption. The carbon footprint of any product is said to be quantified by the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in producing it. It notes that this is measured from the point of primary production all the way to the final disposal or recycling in what would be called the lifecycle assessment (LCA). Also noted are the data requirements of LCA.

The authors comment on the production of liquid transport fuels from biological materials. They argue that since land is a constrained resource, energy crops will compete for land with food crops. For this reason, energy crops which give the maximum net energy yield per hectare should be considered. They said that the challenge for chemical engineering is to use woody biomass as efficiently as possible, and that does not mean turning it into liquids.

Several letters to the editor are presented discussing nuclear energy, research and development, and Brexit.

The article outlines how industrial ecology can point the way to a more sustainable economy. The authors propose the closed-loop economy model, which is central to the concept and approach known as industrial ecology. It is believed that analyzing the flows and stocks of materials in the economy as part of industrial ecology is a significant approach to re-engineer economic performance. A combination of economic pressures, behavioral change and changes in technology or product design are said to be the requirements to reverse current trends.

The author stresses that the chemical engineer profession can provide opportunities outside the traditional process field. He comments on "Shared challenges, shared solutions," the Jubilee Report of ICHemE. According to him, the report was excellent but its vision of the profession was limited and familiar. He argues that the engineering profession might not be fit for the next 50 years. He notes that there are several applications of the profession as a discipline, which extend outside the field.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to Wade Allison's article "Not such as big bad monster" on issues surrounding radiation fears.

Several letters to the editor are presented including one on the Blacksmith Institute effort in the cleanup of plant in Great Britain, another on reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and another on perception about energy production in Great Britain.