The Chemical Engineer

Latest issue

Graham Forbes argues in our feature on sustainable plastics, “If the core of your business is extracting oil and gas, that conflict of interest and the bureaucratic inertia is insurmountable”. Yet Forbes is quick to point out that “we have so many incredible minds in this industry”. Harnessing that expertise – and giving it the right conditions to thrive – is where real progress can still be made. In this issue, CPI’s Hannah Mullard explores how innovators can scale up sustainable technologies in ways that are environmentally sound and economically viable. And while today’s debates often frame fossil fuels solely as part of the problem, Martin Pitt offers a reminder of the industry’s more complex legacy. From the first synthetic medicines to painkillers and breakthroughs in infectious disease, coal-tar chemistry played a pivotal role in shaping modern healthcare.