This special volume of the Journal of Cleaner Production addresses risk issues in process management related to cleaner production and green production. Risks arise in everything humans attempt. Doing business has no profit without risk, rewarding those who best understand systems and take what turns out to be the best way to manage risks. The editorial team and the authors of the papers of this special volume have highlighted general risks common to a number of different production contexts. Risk management is addressed as applied to production in the food we eat, the energy we use to live, and the manifestation of the global economy via supply chains. Models are reviewed as a means to quantify risks, and to aid in decision-making concerning ways to reduce the risks in such complex interactions.