This chapter continues with a theme that runs through this book, which is the dichotomy between economic growth and environmental impact, but from the point of view of manufacture and the global demand for consumables and disposables, including food and its processing. Apart from the greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts associated with manufacture and consumption, this chapter dives into the murky world of waste: plastics in particular but also industrial pollutants, including persistent organic pollutants. Also explored are the sustainability of supply chains and how their complexity can have a major impact on the footprint of the finished product. Shops versus on-line shopping and the death of the high street are discussed, whilst specific sectors such as the timber and paper industries and their impact on forestry and the resources required to feed the fashion and textile industries are also explored. Another section explains the importance of food miles and the differences between local production and the international food marketplace. Lastly overproduction and obsolescence and their relationship to volumes of waste are discussed.