In this paper, the analysis of carbon footprint values for children’s footwear was conducted. This group of products is characterized by similar small mass and diversity in the used materials. The carbon footprint is an environmental indicator, which is used to measure the total sets of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere caused by a product throughout its entire lifecycle. The complexity of carbon footprint calculation methodology is caused by multistage production process. The probability of emission greenhouse gases exists at each of these stages. Moreover, a large variety of footwear materials – both synthetic and natural, give the possibility of the emission of a lot of waste, sewage and gases, which can be dangerous to the environment. The diversity of materials could be the source of problems with the description of their origins, which make carbon footprint calculations difficult, especially in cases of complex supply chains. In this paper, with use of life cycle assessment, the carbon footprint was calculated for 4 children’s footwear types (one with an open upper and three with full uppers). The life cycles of the product were divided into 8 stages: raw materials extraction (stage 1), production of input materials (stage 2), footwear components manufacture (stage 3), footwear manufacture (stage 4), primary packaging manufacture (stage 5), footwear distribution to customers (stage 6), use phase (stage 7) and product’s end of life (stage 8). On these grounds, it was possible to point out the life cycle stages, where the optimization activities can be implemented in order to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. The obtained results showed that the most intensive corrective actions should be focused on the following stages: 3 (the higher emissivity), 4 and 8.

Nowadays, in addition to the thermodynamic properties of refrigerants, their impact on the environment is of high significance. Hence, it is important to use refrigerants with the lowest possible values of ozone depletion potential and global warming potential indices in refrigeration, organic Rankine cycle (ORC), air conditioning, and heat pump systems. Natural refrigerants are the most environmentally friendly; unfortunately, they have less favourable thermodynamic properties. Currently, low-pressure refrigerants from the FC (fluorocarbons, fluorine liquids) and HFE (hydrofluoroether) groups are increasingly used. This paper presents the most important properties and applications of selected refrigerants from these groups and also reviews the literature on their use.

The article aims to increase knowledge on methods for assessing Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions throughout the life cycle of marine alternative fuels. The life cycle of new marine alternative fuels and the assessment of GHG emissions resulting not only from their combustion is one of the new topics that are currently being discussed by the IMO, under the ‘Initial IMO GHG Reduction Strategy’ announced by the Organization in 2018. The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (IMO MEPC) is currently working on the development of Guidelines for Life-Cycle Assessment of GHG emissions for marine fuels from their extraction, through transport, processing, bunkering on board and end use in vessels propulsion systems, what is often called ‘from Cradle-to-Grave’. The use of fossil hydrocarbon fuels is common throughout the shipping industry, but in recent years ships with alternative energy sources have begun to be successfully introduced. Alternative fuels, although they may have low, zero or zero net GHG emissions in use (Tank to Wake or TtW), GHG emissions during their production, processing and distribution (Well-to-Tank or WtT) can vary widely. While a range of low-carbon and zero-carbon energy sources are potentially available for shipping, currently there is no clear decarbonization path or paths, and is likely that in the future a range of solutions will be adopted according to different vessel and operational requirements.