This book reviews the assessment of industrial biotechnology products and processes from a sustainable perspective. Industrial Biotechnology is a comparably young field which comes along with high expectations with regard to sustainability issues. These stem from the promise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and replacing fossil resources in the near or later future and using green technology, i.e. more environmentally friendly technologies. The intended economic, ecological and social benefits, however, need to be proven, resulting in a variety of challenges, both from a methodological and application point of view.

Part I: Introduction.- The Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessments of Industrial Biotechnology: An Introduction.- Part II: Background.- History, Current State, and Emerging Applications of Industrial Biotechnology.- Economic Aspects of Industrial Biotechnology.- Part III: Industrial Biotechnology from an Assessment Perspective.- Environmental Aspects of Industrial Biotechnology.- Societal and Ethical Aspects of Industrial Biotechnology.- Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessments in Industrial Biotechnology: A Review of Current Approaches and Future Needs.- Social Life Cycle Assessment for Industrial Biotechnology.- Part IV: Specific Methods and Applications.- Assessing Land Use and Biodiversity Impacts of Industrial Biotechnology.- Risk Assessment of Processes and Products in Industrial Biotechnology.- Green Chemistry and its Contributions to Industrial Biotechnology.- Application of geobiotechnology in mining, mineral processing and metal recycling.- Assessing Industrial Biotechnology Products with LCA and Eco-Efficiency.