Search Results for: America

Speaking at the event on Friday (Feb 17), Mark Carney, UN special envoy for climate action and finance, and former central bank governor for the UK and Canada, said of the baseline: “It’s critical. You need compatible information.”  

Mr Carney stressed ongoing discussions between the ISSB and major jurisdictions, such as the EU (European Union), the USA and Japan, about the need for regulatory harmony.…

The investment to build the interconnector will amount to EUR2.8 billion, with the EIB set to contribute up to EUR400 million for the financing construction of the section within the European Union (EU).  Other financiers include the UK Infrastructure Bank, which will focus on the stretch within UK maritime and land territory, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).…

INTRODUCTION 

ACCOUNTING used to be restricted to financially measurable matters of profit and loss; expenditure and revenue; taxes and subsidies; investment and liabilities. But the mathematical and statistical skills underpinning a solid set of books and filed accounts are today increasingly being used to measure the environmental and social sustainability of a product, input, production process and supply chain.…

INTRODUCTION

The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a reassessment of the model of relying on one or two outsourcing locations. It has demonstrated that when there is a major disruption caused by an emergency as serious as a pandemic, shipping and industrial processing can be disrupted.…

Populism, the force that elected Donald Trump to the US presidency in 2016, is not a new creed – representing, as it does, a distrust by the mass of voters of political and business elites. Indeed, in America, a formal ‘People’s Party’, also called the Populists, was formed in 1892 and ran in that year’s presidential election, with some success, gathering 8.5% of the vote.…

Every four years, the presidential US election reminds the world that democracy can work – that even the leader of the world’s most powerful country can lose power at the hands of voters. Sure, there is some repetition – today’s losers in Washington are those who won in 2016.…

Since its foundation, the United States has regularly seen opposition party presidents defeat the candidate of the incumbent ruling party. Indeed, since the 1920s (when Republican presidents held sway), only one ruling presidential candidate won an election to replace a predecessor from the same party – President George Bush Snr in 1988.…

Every four years, people worldwide, armed with statistics, predictions and expectations, gaze at traditional, smart, and portable screens, waiting for an anticipated globally important event. Some observers are enthusiastic, others are indifferent – but everyone awaits the results.

But this is no sporting championship.…

Opposition is mounting outside the Big Three US auto manufacturers to proposed federal tax credits for electric vehicle purchases within proposed House of Representatives and Senate versions of the Build Back Better Act.

With a House vote maybe happening this week, representatives of foreign-owned and non-union manufacturers as well as the Canadian and Mexican governments, are pushing for changes to the tax credit packages under discussion.…

Automotive associations and manufacturers in Mexico admit that their country’s automotive industry is registering a much slower rate of Covid-19 recovery than expected due to supplies shortages, which have especially impeded light vehicle production – cars, CUVs, SUVs and pick-ups.

In early October, the Mexican Automotive Industry Association, (Asociación Mexicana de la Industria Automotriz – AMIA) noted that light vehicle sales in September in Mexico were 76,930 units, meaning 1.1% less than the number recorded during September 2020, when the pandemic was ravaging Mexico’s economy, which lost 8.5% of its GDP last year (2020).…

On November 11 (2021), Indonesia’s National Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s top Muslim clerical body, ruled that “using” cryptocurrency is haram, due to its “uncertainty” and “potential for wagering and harm”. 

The ruling, which was not accompanied by any public clarification of MUI’s position on what constitutes “using” cryptocurrency, sent ripples through the Islamic world and reignited discussions about the role of the rapidly expanding digital assets sector in Sharia-compliant finance. …

Halal experts and animal welfare activists around the world are seeking common ground on how to keep and slaughter animals in the most humane ways possible. Halal certification systems that forbid pre-slaughter stunning as haram is becoming an increasingly acute issue for countries with strong animal welfare culture traditions and growing Muslim populations.…

While in recent years, the peaceful approach to progress associated with Islam has not been given a high-profile, because of the activities of extremists, the truth is that there is much to be learned from the Noble Prophet Mohammed about the value of incremental negotiation.…

For nearly a hundred years, the city of Jerusalem has been the scene of violent confrontations between Jews and Arabs. This is the most recent of struggles over this most disputed city that have continued for more than three thousand years.…

The executive director of the Chamber of the Textile and Apparel Industry, of El Salvador (CAMTEX – Cámara de la Industria Textil) has told Just Style how her manufacturing hub is seizing market opportunities growing as Covid-19 ebbs.

Patricia Figueroa, who has been in her job since 2015, also highlighted the challenges the Salvadoran clothing and textile industry will tackle in 2021-22, with CAMTEX’s help.…

THE CANADIAN auto parts sector is likely to suffer should the Trump administration go ahead with plans to impose escalating duties on Mexican exports to the USA to force Mexico to further restrict immigration into America.

With President Donald Trump yesterday (June 5) claiming talks with the Mexican government have been insufficiently productive, the US is poised to impose 5% duties on all imports from Mexico on June 10.…

Istanbul is gearing up for its second fashion week of 2021, with the expectation of repeating the success of previous virtual events that reached some 25 million viewers worldwide.

With a physical Mercedes-Benz Istanbul Fashion Week (IFW) not feasible in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers pivoted to a virtual event.…

Accountants are grappling with the implications of El Salvador formally adopting Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender on September 7, alongside USD, which has been the country’s legal tender since 2001, when the country withdrew its national Colón currency.

While USD will remain the most important currency in El Salvador, remaining the reference currency for accounting purposes, with greenback banknotes and coins still circulating, the Bitcoin Law that established the cryptocurrency in El Salvador (1) will be a challenge and opportunity for businesses.…

THE FINNISH can manufacturing industry has been growing, with new production coming online in the past 10 years to diversify a sector that is able to draw on effective access to raw materials and a highly skilled workforce.

Both Rexam (now part of Ball) and Poland-based Canpack operate efficient Finnish can-making plants.…

The increasing decriminalisation and legalisation of cannabis as a recreational and medicinal substance has encouraged the liberalisation of hemp as a fibre crop, whose use in some jurisdictions had been restricted because of laws against the plant’s chemically-active ingredients.

This is starting to change, most notably in the USA, which used to have severe anti-marijuana laws, but which now has 18 states that have legalised recreational cannabis use.…

Production of a new drop-in biofuel that is truly user-friendly for the USA automotive industry – especially for trucks and larger pick-ups – is expected to boom in the next three years, as major refineries for ‘renewable diesel’ come onstream.

While it uses the same soy or other bio-feedstock as traditional biodiesel, the manufacturing process is completely different, and it is popular for automakers because it can be easily substituted for fossil fuels without changing combustion systems.…

The relationship between the USA textile industry and its counterparts in Latin America has never been straightforward, given the US exports fabrics and fibre to its neighbours as well as importing apparel, but the Covid-19 pandemic has increased complexity in this relationship.…

With its complex supply and distribution chain, the international knitwear sector fosters innovation, with commercial partners cross-fertilising technical and design ideas that span digitisation and mechanical smarts, as well as consumer-focused creativity.

One key area of innovation in the past year has been warp knitting – for instance by leading northern Italian warp seamless knitwear manufacturer Cifra (1), which last December (2020) launched an innovative and sustainable garment concept for women, spanning beachwear, athleisure bodywear and lingerie.…

Istanbul is gearing up for its second fashion week of 2021, with the expectation of repeating the success of previous virtual events that reached some 25 million viewers worldwide.

With a physical Mercedes-Benz Istanbul Fashion Week (IFW) not feasible in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers pivoted to a virtual event.…

Only a foolish person would deny the importance of culture and historical consciousness on the present behaviour of humankind, and that counts maybe double for the Arab world, where citizens often view society through a more ideological or religious lens than – say – in the west.…

A key political question emerging from the Coronavirus pandemic has been how the disease might readjust relations between this world’s two largest powers – the United States and China. The two countries have had two very different experiences of Covid-19, which reflect their contrasting social and political systems.…

Cryptocurrency innovation is moving fast, with AML/CFT-oriented financial institutions and law enforcement struggling to keep up as criminals exploit the system through newer technology such as decentralised finance and anonymous privacy coins.

The use of cryptocurrencies is surging, and is increasingly being adopted in more, often unregulated, markets.…

AS the European Union (EU) debates the proposed creation of a supra-national EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) and associated reforms to EU AML/CFT law, it must take privacy concerns into account, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has argued.

In a comprehensive and detailed comment on the proposed new EU AML/CFT regulation and directive, the EDPS, an EU agency with powers to regulate the EU general data protection regulation, has said it supports these proposed laws’ embrace of the risk-based approach, which implies measures “as effective as possible and as less intrusive as possible”.…

Turkish apparel manufacturers are investing significant sums of money in sustainability and traceability, implementing international standards, and adopting digitalisation in anticipation of more consumer demand for eco-friendly products.

With Turkey a higher-end (and cost) apparel manufacturing hub than east Asia, Egypt or Africa, the country’s industry is banking on its value-added production to retain as well as expand exports to Europe and North America.…

The Turkish apparel sector is looking to build on its long-standing record as a major apparel producer for the American market, offering quality products at a swifter time-to-market than its key competitors in Asia, especially China.

Turkey’s apparel exports to the USA remain robust – at around USD1 billion-a-year according to Mehmet Kaya, a board member of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (İstanbul Hazır Giyim ve Konfeksiyon İhracatçıları Birliği – İHKİB).…

Ethiopian textile and clothing managers and workers are worried that the USA may expel their county from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade access, as armed conflict continues in Tigray.

The US Trade Representative Katherine Tai has said America would “soon” decide on Ethiopia’s status under AGOA, which gives its clothing and textile exporters duty-free access to the United States.…

One of the most important changes in geopolitics in the past 10 years has been the rise of China’s economic and military power, which has grown so much, its influence is now a serious rival to the hegemony of the United States.…

While the human misery created by the coronavirus Covid-19 is undeniable, with 4.7 million deaths formally assigned to the disease by October 2021, and many more doubtless unrecorded, the pandemic has had another major impact – on politics.

This is because the disease, being highly infectious, caused governments to take public health measures that affect all their citizens, far more comprehensive than any other such policies in history.…

After the Second World War, Europe emerged economically and socially drained. The war had destroyed so much housing, industry and infrastructure and killed millions of people. Unsurprisingly, the societies of countries who had fought – or been fought over – and that was most of the continent – were brought their knees by the conflict.…

Hubris comes in many forms, but surely the rushed exit of American forces from Afghanistan to meet an artificial political deadline of the 20^th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the USA is a breathtaking example.

Rather than strengthening the agents of reform in Afghanistan, upon which the US and its allies have inefficiently spent trillions of dollars, this helter-skelter exit has undermined them, leaving at the mercy of a resurgent Taliban.…

The Covid-19 pandemic, as a global crisis, will have worldwide long and short-term effects, although – of course – some counties have been, and will be, hit much harder than others.

Indeed, some countries, with fragile economies and weaker social systems, have been brought close to collapse by the coronavirus.…

An anticipated surge in supply and demand for renewable diesel, fuel that is chemically identical to its fossil fuel predecessor, is likely to cause major disruption to the American vegetable oil market and industry, notably soy.

With the US government and certain states regarding renewable diesel as a swift way to further reduce carbon emissions and meet Paris agreement climate change targets, the prospects for major additional purchases of soybeans within the American domestic market are very real.…

European and US interest in carbon capture and storage/sequestration (CCS) and carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) is continuing to surge as governments make ever more ambitious climate change commitments.

In tandem with improvements in technology mean capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted from industrial processes, power generation or directly from the air, and either storing or using it, CCS/CCUS is no longer viewed as a marginal solution with limited applications. …

Fraud, corruption and money laundering is hitting the world’s biggest corporations hardest, despite these companies bolstering their financial crime defences, according to Kroll’s latest annual Global Fraud and Risk Report (1). Risk specialists Kroll surveyed 1,336 senior executives from 17 countries worldwide and found 57% from companies with a turnover topping USD15 billion had experienced a “very significant” impact from such crimes, compared to 36% overall.…

Young and aspiring accountants might balk at the idea of working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region’s oil and gas sector. A connection to hydrocarbons amid growing societal pressure to de-carbonise economies can, in some circles, attract criticism.

But for GCC accountants, the ability to combine financial reporting with every increasing sustainability assessment tool, means oil and gas might be a good long term career bet.…

Japanese paint companies have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their bottom lines over the last 18 months, although their fortunes appear to have diverged in the first half of this calendar year. Firms that have a strong presence in China, where the economy has already bounced back strongly, are faring better than those that are primarily focused on domestic sales or export markets still struggling to shake off the lingering effects of the global health crisis.…

Analysed USA trade data from the professor who coined the phrase ‘trade-based money laundering’ have unveiled significant abnormal pricing in exports and imports to and from the USA, which could have been abused for ML. Prof John Zdanowicz, a business professor at the USA’s Florida International University, and long-standing TBML expert, shared analysed 2020 US trade data with MLB, and they include some eye-widening anomalous valuations.…

A high-tech medical simulation centre in Tunisia has found a winning solution to teaching technical clinical procedures online, meeting student and professional training needs during the Covid-19 pandemic, while opening up opportunities for remote learning and medical research across Africa. The Honoris Medical Simulation Centre (1), in the capital Tunis, part of the Honoris United Universities network of African higher education institutions (2) was opened just 14 months before the pandemic struck in earnest, on November 10, 2018.…

A trade war over airplane manufacturing subsidies between the USA and UK, which has led to 25% additional duties being levied on British knitwear exports to America, appears to have been resolved. The EU and the USA have suspended for five years retaliatory duties that both sides have imposed on each other’s exports in the long-running ‘Airbus’ subsidy dispute.…

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) will consider allowing the amortisation of goodwill, maintain some harmony with USA GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). A joint US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)/IASB education meeting discussed FASB plans to allow goodwill amortisation. “Most of those respondents commenting said that convergence on this topic with US GAAP was desirable,” said a meeting note.…

After completing the technical testing required, central America’s largest apparel factory is about to open in Honduras, producing sportswear for major brands such as Nike or Under Armour, an executive informed just-style.
La Arena, the Tegra Global-owned industrial park in San Pedro Sula, in the country’s north, will receive around 100 employees during the last week of August – its inauguration was delayed from January because of the Covid-19 pandemic.…

The cyber-attack on the Colonial Pipeline Co in the USA, which sparked the temporary closure of the eastern United States’ most important fuel pipeline, has focused attention on the risks posed by ransomware on major companies. These risks are increasing. Keith Nuthall reports.…

INTRODUCTION

THE MANUFACTURE of protective masks has been maybe the largest growth area in the international textile and non-wovens industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Billions of people have donned masks as they seek to avoid catching a disease that by June 11 (2021) had killed 3.7 million people and infected 175 million [1].…

AMERICA has long been the global policeman of international sanctions, including breaches of AML rules, but evidence suggests that the US dollar’s use in international transactions could be weakening and is having to compete with the rising power of crypto currencies.…

President Joe Biden may think he has three main foreign policy priorities this year – China, Russia and Iran – but the truth is, as far as the Middle East is concerned, all these challenges roll into one.

That is because both China and Russia are seeking increased influence in the Middle East, and hoping for potential missteps from the USA over the Iran file to leverage their diplomatic positions.…

GLOBAL ratings agency Fitch has warned that the current global shortage in semiconductor supplies is expected to continue – a major worry for automotive manufacturers and traders seeking to ramp up production as Covid-19 declines, especially as vehicles become ever more reliant on micro-chips.…

The narcotics trade was a prime motivator to enact global anti-money laundering regulations to curb dirty money flows. Over 30 years later, drug trafficking is still considered the largest transnational crime by international law enforcement agencies. It is worth an estimated USD344 billion-a-year, according to Interpol, followed by counterfeiting crimes (USD288 billion) and human trafficking (USD157 billion).…

With President Joe Biden assuming office in the United States, the Mexican clothing and textile industry is hoping improved trading relations, building on the legacy left by former President Donald Trump that it regards largely positively.

The Mexican Apparel Association (CANAIVE – Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Vestido) was particularly happy with the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now called the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement: “USMCA opened new opportunities for our industry while seeking to obtain a more solid regional integration,” said CANAIVE, in a note to just-style.…

The European Commission has fined three banks, UBS, Nomura and UniCredit a combined total of EUR371 million (USD452 million) over their role in a European government bond (EGB) cartel involving four other banks. All three deny wrongdoing and are considering or will appeal the fines before the European Court of Justice (ECJ).…

CONCERN about continued Russian meddling in American elections, the ‘SolarWinds’ backdoor hack into major US institutions, and targeted assassinations of dissidents abroad, have sparked the imposition of major new sanctions powers by President Joe Biden,

Declaring a national emergency to fight the cyber-crime threat posed by Russia, Biden released an executive order giving his administration wide-ranging powers to freeze and block asserts of Russian individuals and companies deemed associated with these Russian intrusions.…

A PUBLIC inquiry in British Columbia, Canada, has increased concerns about how auto dealers maybe exploited by criminal networks to launder dirty money. Purchasers can be prepared to pay high prices for vehicles in cash, with dealers struggling to identify the source of these funds.…

THE INDIAN clothing and textile manufacturing sector is facing renewed disruption as India is hit by a brutal second wave of Covid-19.

“Labour has [partially] gone, production is down and demand is falling,” Sanjay Arora, business director at consultancy firm Wazir Advisors told just-style.…

The confectionery industry has weathered Covid-19 lockdowns better than many sectors, even seeing a rise in consumer demand across Europe. But producers of fresh bakery products have been hit hard, as have baked goods and confectionery firms that focus on catering.…

Covid-19 has reshaped commercial crime, and one lucrative offence taking a real turn for the worse is tobacco smuggling and counterfeiting. Keith Nuthall reports.

The Covid-19 pandemic has depressed incomes worldwide and forced lower income smokers to look for cheap smokes, which has included counterfeits or smuggled goods.…

There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled the black-market trade in illicit and smuggled licit tobacco products. The disease has depressed income and forced lower income smokers to look for cheap smokes, which has included counterfeits or smuggled goods.…

Mozambique’s tobacco leaf and processing sector is facing tough times. Cyclones such as this January’s Eloise, and Idai in 2019 have wreaked significant damage on tobacco plantations. Covid-19 has caused processing disruption and harmed legitimate distribution, encouraging an increase in black market cigarette sales.…

The Czech Republic’s digital textile printing business continued to thrive in 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic’s e-commerce boom boosting trade rather than hampering the sector. Europe’s leading print-on-demand provider Spread Group, which was founded 18 years ago under the name Spreadshirt, and has a key plant in the Czech Republic, had a record year.…

With global markets and daily consumer habits being disrupted for almost a year due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, some oils and fats sales have grown – and a key example is soybean oil. This is true worldwide, from North and South America, to Africa, Asia, and Europe.…

Anti-money laundering specialists may be focusing on how crypto-currencies and online transactions pose an increasing ML/TF risk, especially with Covid-19 encouraging ecommerce, but the reality is that cash remains the money launderers’ best instrument for moving dirty money.

That is the conclusion of Gabriel Hidalgo, a managing director at risk specialists K2 Integrity, in New York: “Cash is king for ML; it continues to be king; and on the majority of levels, illicit actors will continue to use cash,” he said.…

In 2021, when the UK has thrown away its most precious diplomatic asset, its membership of the European Union, for dubious democratic gains, burning major European civil rights enjoyed by Britons and causing likely economic long-term damage, it is maybe time to recall when Britain followed more enlightened international policies.…

In 2021, when the UK has thrown away its most precious diplomatic asset, its membership of the European Union, for dubious democratic gains, burning major European civil rights enjoyed by Britons and causing likely economic long-term damage, it is maybe time to recall when Britain followed more enlightened international policies.…

The US new administration of President Joe Biden has a real opportunity to help forge peace in Syria, and if it succeeds, it could reap a series of important foreign policy goals.

This Levant country needs calm and reconstruction. For that to happen, the Biden team needs to recognise that the Baathist regime of President Bashar Hafez al-Assad has won this conflict, and still has rights in areas controlled by Kurds.…

The US new administration of President Joe Biden has a real opportunity to help forge peace in Syria, and if it succeeds, it could reap a series of important foreign policy goals.

This Levant country needs calm and reconstruction. For that to happen, the Biden team needs to recognise that the Baathist regime of President Bashar Hafez al-Assad has won this conflict, and still has rights in areas controlled by Kurds.…

Now Joe Biden has acceded to power in Washington, it is important that his administration gives special attention to Iraq, not the least because many Iraqis blame him for some dismal failures in past America policy. Under former President Barack Obama’s term of office, it was then Vice President Joe Biden who was largely responsible for the policy fudge which saw ISIS take over 40% of the country.…

For a religion to be strong, it must be confident in itself: solid in its convictions and robust in its humility. While its true adherents should imbue its principles within their souls, such depth of faith should enable believers to accept others may follow a different creed.…

Brief:

This article provides an analysis of why the world’s largest regional trade deal (in population terms) – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – was signed last November (2020). It assesses China’s role in this important political and economic event, and how it reflects its relations with other signatory countries.…

Now Joe Biden has acceded to power in Washington, it is important that his administration gives special attention to Iraq, not the least because many Iraqis blame him for some dismal failures in past America policy. Under former President Barack Obama’s term of office, it was then Vice President Joe Biden who was largely responsible for the policy fudge which saw ISIS take over 40% of the country.…

The Egyptian Nobel Prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz wrote in his novel ‘Heart of the Night’, that ‘Politics is a spacious word; its charm is distributed among all sects. Politics is life’.

It is a quote worth remembering, as politics is indeed life, and affects all life.…

The Egyptian Nobel Prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz wrote in his novel ‘Heart of the Night’, that ‘Politics is a spacious word; its charm is distributed among all sects. Politics is life’.

It is a quote worth remembering, as politics is indeed life, and affects all life.…

It takes minutes for any Brazilian on Instagram to be bombarded with ads of modern companies selling exquisite items from tofu tikka masala stew to cauliflower risotto. But these are not from restaurants heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and now use social media to survive.…

In the modern textile industry, coating, surface modification and laminating are the key means to tailor textiles and nonwovens to create functional products for specific, often high-performance, applications.

Such techniques have offered the sector potential advantages as it entered uncharted terrain in 2020, being at the forefront in humankind’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.…

International News Services’ Nigeria correspondent, Samuel Okocha, has produced a photographic book showing a candid glimpse of the city. “It’s also a product of my strong interests in street photography which has been therapeutic for me,” Samuel said. “Street photography helps me slow down in a crazy fast moving city like Lagos.…

THE STRIKING of a trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and a UK to pave Britain’s final and full exit from the EU from January 1 has offered US auto exporters opportunities to boost sales to the UK, but with some significant challenges, say experts.…

The medieval scholar Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun, a famous Tunisian historian of the 14^th and 15^th centuries, created a model for the history of states, which he said had a natural life of birth, maturity and death.

His Muqaddimah, published in Arabic in 1377, written as a prelude to an ambitious survey of global history, said states went through three stages, always ending – as the adage about politics says – in failure.…

IT is not easy to make a living as a fine artist. So many talented painters, sculptors, illustrators and engravers pay their bills through teaching, and indulge their creativity as a sideline. Others move into commercial graphic design where their scope is confined by the demands of selling products, contrasting with the unbound freedom of imagination enjoyed by the independent artist.…

Former US President Donald Trump may be out of office, but the first initiatives of the new administration of President Joe Boden have been to encourage the American manufacture of clothing and textiles, just in a different way from his predecessor.…

German banking giant Deutsche Bank is to pay more than USD130 million in the USA for a string of bribes its “business development consultants (BDC)” paid out in Abu Dhabi, China, Italy and Saudi Arabia, in breach of America’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).…

The United States Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken the unusual step of awarding a whistleblower involved in a company audit with a reward of more than USD300,000. Although individuals with audit or compliance responsibilities are generally not eligible for such awards, the SEC said it makes exceptions for whistleblowers who reasonably believes that a company’s conduct could impede an agency investigation.…

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed consumer behaviour as well as revenue streams for criminals, encouraging them to abandon certain laundering techniques in favour of others. Criminals have generated more money through cybercrime by attacking unwary computer users unused to using personal computers at home.…

The international gold trade is worth over USD6 trillion a year, according to the World Gold Council (WGC), but oversight of the supply chain is considered weak by many critics, relying on self-regulation, making it vulnerable to money laundering.

Gold remains scarce and hence valuable: from antiquity until 2019, just 197,576 tonnes has been mined – equivalent to a 21.7 metre cube, according to the World Gold Council.…

The Peruvian clothing industry is criticising government aid programmes that are supposed to help companies withstand the Covid-19 pandemic, saying they have done little for apparel and textile manufacturers.

Carlos Penny, president of the textile committee at the Peruvian Exports Association (ADEX – Asociación de Exportadores), is especially unhappy how the Reactivate Peru (Reactiva Peru) and a national Business Support Fund have failed the country’s important clothing and textile sector.…

USA automotive manufacturers are facing some tough choices when implementing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force on July 1, to avoid its pressure on costs being reflected in showroom price increases.

The new deal, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), requires US, Mexican and Canadian auto manufacturers to increase their USMCA-bloc sourcing to ensure that 75% of a vehicle’s parts are made in a signatory country to benefit from the free trade provisions.…

The Mexican auto industry should be able to preserve its critically important USA export sales if it implements the new labour wage and origin components of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) slowly and steadily, allowing time to invest in technological efficiencies, experts predict.…

Mavi, the Turkish denim giant, sold 9.7 million pairs of jeans worldwide in 2019, and, its chief executive has told just-style, has rebounded from the shuttering of the garment sector earlier this year with e-commerce sales doubling in its major markets.…

IT goes without saying that can manufacturers and fillers have to comply with regulatory controls specifying how they make and fill cans, but maybe the biggest compliance challenge for the industry is following the world’s multifarious rules on food labelling. 

Canners and fillers with contracts to supply labelled cans have to take special care given these labelling rules do not just vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, (or even within jurisdictions), these regulations are a very dynamic topic – they change, often. …

LATIN America has been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic – with Chile, Peru, Brazil and Colombia in the top-20 of countries regarding cases per million people – and its paint and coatings market and industry has faced a similarly rough ride.…

The tobacco market in Greece, once one of the world’s most robust, is struggling with declining consumption trends seen across Europe and north America, as well as a growing illicit trade.

Vassilis Mastorakis, marketing director of the Karelia Tobacco Company Inc, Greece’s largest cigarette manufacturer and exporter, told Tobacco Journal International that “smoking of cigarettes in Greece has been in a declining trend over the last 36 months [July 2017-June 2020] by almost 7% (2020 versus 2018) while the roll-your-own (RYO) consumption is slightly growing by almost 2 percent over the same period.”…

A SHIFT towards home-based work during the Covid-19 epidemic has raised multiple challenges for AML/CFT regulatory compliance departments, from changes in consumer behaviour that affects transaction monitoring, to digitally onboarding new customers, and heightened risks of illicit crime and fraud.

The first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic and related lockdowns this spring especially stretched financial institutions’ regulatory compliance departments to their limits, said Patrick Gerard Dahill, head of AML and financial crime recruitment at Barclay Simpson, in London.…

TEXT fraud is maybe more dangerous that email fraud, given the tendency for mobile phone users to respond to texts swiftly and without careful thought, cyber-security experts warn.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also created opportunities for fraudsters using texts and messaging services such as WhatsApp to launch fishing and other attacks on the unwary.…

The cutting edge IT field of quantum computing is developing across Africa, with South Africa considered the hub, in part through an IBM centre in Johannesburg that enables academics throughout the continent to freely access its quantum computer network, based in the USA, through the cloud.…

One year ago, there were few options in the Brazilian market of non-meat alternative products. But brands have started luring beef-crazy Brazilians into buying several plant-based meat substitutes, chiefly hamburgers. And some of the country’s biggest meat packers are now exploring this relatively small, but promising category.…

The executive director of International Sugar Organisation (ISO) wants his body “to work more with the confectionery sector”, as it strives to debunk junk science that derides the nutritional value of sugar. José Orive told Confectionery Production that ISO wanted to succeed in presenting “scientific evidence-based information” about sugar’s health impact so the reputation of confectionery products is not “blackened with funky fake data”. …

UNPRECEDENTED demand for aluminium cans caused by consumers drinking at home during lockdowns and associated restaurant and café closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will not cause long term disruption to this key canning market, say industry experts. Instead, manufacturers will work closely with customers to maintain supplies, European and United States (US) industry organisations have told CanTech International.…

The Indian  knitwear industry, a sector that exported USD7.5 billion’s worth of apparel in the financial year ending March 2020, according to the country’s directorate general of foreign trade, is undergoing severe stress induced by the Covid-19 related lockdown and resulting collapsing demand.…

While Argentina’s textile industry is poised for growth over the next few years, the expansion of its use of digital printing will probably lag as companies recover from a deep recession in 2020 caused by Covid-19 and underlying economic weakness, executives said. …

THE NORTH American – especially the USA – nonwovens sector, has this year had to content with two major external impacts – the US trade war with China and the Covid-19 pandemic. New statistics from the North Carolina, USA-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) have revealed a sharp decline in north American exports (including those from the USA, Canada and Mexico) to China from across north America (with the USA dominating) showed a fall in exports tonnage of 18.6% respectively year-on-year between 2019 and 2018, “led by declines in trade with China”, according to a memo from the organisation.…

With Nigeria continuing its lockdown closure of education institutions into late June, the country’s private universities are continuing to develop online learning, while many public universities are waiting for their physical facilities to reopen before restarting services. Access to such buildings by essential staff have eased from June 2, with Nigerian government loosening a nationwide curfew from 8pm and 6am, which will now be in force from 10pm to 4am until June 29.…

If there is one subsector of technical textiles that is regarded as well suited to environment-friendly materials innovation, it is surely the agricultural textile (ag-tex) sector. This is indeed the case, with research and development specialists creating clever solutions allying the functional and sustainability benefits of ag-tex with new biodegradable and naturally-sourced fibre.…

CANADA’S Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) is optimistic that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will deliver more sustained work to the country’s supply chain once the deal comes into force on July 1. It replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in place since 1994.…

THE COVID-19 crisis has severely depressed sales of personal care products within Latin America and it is unclear when the market will pick up.

In Argentina, for example, a coronavirus-induced lockdown has pushed the economy deeper into recession, slashing sales of most unessential beauty and personal care products.…

Moscow’s action on 90% demineralized whey powder followed up an announcement made in March 19 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that from March 20 “for one month, all restrictions on the supply of essential goods, including customs, are cancelled”. This was followed up by a government plan allowing for the easing of sanctions-related restrictions – see http://static.government.ru/media/files/vBHd4YRxpULCaUNNTFLVpPSZbMCIA2Zq.pdf…

Comprised of a dry shampoo, deodorant, face moisturiser, lip balm, and more recently, body lotion, the line is sold only in North America and available in gym or travel sizes.  “For over 20 years, lululemon has been focused on solving athletes’ needs.…

EAST Asia’s auto-making hubs may have been making a better fist of dealing with the Covid-19 crisis than manufacturing centres in Europe and north America, but the pandemic has been harming the industry in the region.

Government responses have varied, however, with no major scrappage packages being announced.…

With many brands and manufacturers unable to visit factories due to travel bans and lockdowns during the Covid-19 crisis, experts have told just-style that there are numerous ways they can still proceed with responsible sourcing, using trusted local representatives. Hervé Ostrowski, chief operating officer at Hong Kong-based supply chain compliance solutions provider QIMA, advised that “brands must have reliable boots on the ground…who can still carry out onsite audits when possible.”…

USE of the so-called ‘wonder material’ graphene in the energy sector is growing fast, with its thin sheets of carbon atoms in a honeycomb shape, stronger than diamond yet flexible, offering excellent thermal and electronic conductive properties. Given it also offers an extremely high surface to material ratio, graphene energy storage and capture uses are being developed to make batteries, supercapacitors, and solar panels.…

There is, however, much less protection in Latin America. In Brazil, the country’s justice and public security minister Sérgio Moro left the job in April accusing President Jair Bolsonaro of interference with federal police work. By doing so, he effectively became a whistleblower himself, but his suggestions on the topic are far from being the law of the land.…

GERMANY’S strong paint and coatings industry is facing a significant loss in sales because of the global Covid-19 pandemic – Germany expects a fall in economic output of up to 20% in 2020. Industry experts expect that the country’s coatings and paint industry will suffer accordingly.…

Derisking through the dismantling of correspondent banking relationships continues to be a problem, according to the latest data, prompting concerns that informal transaction networks may grow, whose AML checks may be less robust than those applied by traditional banks.

The European Union (EU) is concerned, with the European Banking Authority (EBA) in October 2019 issued a report on risks affecting the financial sector, with derisking one of its biggest concerns regarding money laundering.…

GIVEN the hundreds of billions of dollars spent by banks on fighting money laundering, fears that trade-based money laundering (TBML) remains widespread, as stressed by FATF, the APG (http://www.fatf-gafi.org/publications/methodsandtrends/documents/trade-basedmoneylaunderingtypologies.html), and most recently, the European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/supranational_risk_assessment_of_the_money_laundering_and_terrorist_financing_risks_affecting_the_union_-_annex.pdf), are of serous concern. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) said that in 2018, global merchandise exports were worth USD19.48 trillion, so there is plenty of place for laundered money to hide.…

SLOWLY, but steadily, the world’s energy policies are turning green, towards promoting a sustainable future, targeting an increasingly universal goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. With evidence mounting not only that climate change is accelerating, but potentially wreaking serious damage on the world’s economies and peoples, the Paris Agreement goal of holding the rise in global temperatures to well below 2C trying to limit it to 1.5C is being reflected in the plans of governments, regional and international organisations.…

THE INTERNATIONAL Sweeteners Association (ISA) has called for clear rules on how the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) may assess biomonitoring data in the agency’s planned review of authorisations for sweeteners that are allowed in the European Union (EU). The industry body said in a public consultation on this review that it “is critical to have clear and expert protocols issued by EFSA and/or OECD to appropriately respond to… interest in reviewing ‘biomonitoring’ data, if this is to be considered in the current re-evaluation of sweeteners.”…

Mexico’s digital textile printing industry is poised for growth as the country’s textile manufacturers bet on the technology to cut costs, meet orders faster and widen exports to Canada and the United States, efforts that have gained in importance this year as the global economy reels from the spread of the coronavirus.…

THE UNITED States has made slow but steady progress in improving its AML/CFT protections since it last received a detailed assessment from FATF in 2016, according to the global AML body – although it warns that the USA remains non-compliant with four FATF recommendations and partially-compliant with five.…

THE ROLE of whistleblowers in the Americas has been given special attention in since last August, when an intelligence officer lodged a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General about a phone call by President Donald Trump to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pressuring him to open an investigation into alleged corruption by former vice-president Joe Biden.…

AFRICA is commonly hailed as the world’s next big focus of economic growth, but for the civil aviation industry, this prospect will require significant investment in new intra-African routes and related airport and ATC infrastructure. It will also require governments to remove immigration barriers preventing African air travellers flying to other countries on their home continent.…

While this dispute is happening thousands of kilometres away from where most Canadians (settler or indigenous) live, this dispute illustrates how tough it is to get appropriate sign-off from indigenous communities on pipeline projects and how it is underpinned by centuries’ old struggles involving indigenous Canadians.…

The Philippines department of trade and industry is finalising a roadmap to revive the textile and garment industry, devised by the government’s Board of Investment. 

Latest drafts of this Textile-Garment Industry Roadmap 2020-2029, which has yet to be formally released, lays out the path for an integrated textile-garment industry, strong linkages between industry, government and private sector, as well as a dedicated trade office.…

The textile industry in Guatemala represents 8.9% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), but a rise in production costs is jeopardising the industry’s overseas sales competitiveness. Therefore, Guatemala producers are focusing on buying and installing cutting edge technology to improve existing operations and even create new business divisions, maintaining their competitiveness against other suppliers in the region, Alejandro Ceballos, president of the country’s Apparel & Textile Industry Association (Vestex).…

NATIONAL minimum wages have been rising in clothing manufacturing outsourcing hubs around the world, with low and medium-cost manufacturing centres increasing pay rates, as their governments seek to balance the need for export competitiveness with the value of industrial peace to avoid production disruption and the ability to retain experienced staff.…

There is broad consensus among energy and environmental experts that carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems built at commercial scale must play a key role if governments are to achieve their 2015 COP21 (Paris Agreement) ambitions for limiting carbon emissions. “All credible scenario modelling shows that CCS will be essential to meeting the targets set by the Paris Agreement”, commented a report co-ordinated by the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) for a European Gas Regulatory Forum meeting, staged last June (2019).…

The intersection between beauty products, fashion and sport has never been so mainstream. This was evident last year when popular yoga and athletic-apparel brand, Vancouver, Canada-based Lululemon Athletica Inc launched in June (2019) its own athleisure gender-neutral beauty and personal care line (BPC), called ‘lululemon selfcare’.…

For almost six years the federal prosecutors, policemen and judges of Brazil’s Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato) were hailed as anti-corruption heroes. Their spectacular raids and testimonies led to scores of politicians and businessmen jailed throughout Latin America, and especially in Brazil.…

As paint company conferences go, the Sankeshu Paint Co’s annual Chinese New Year gathering was special. A room of sales executives wearing matching blue suits and red ties were serenaded with ‘Zui Mei de Shen Hu’ – ‘The Most Beautiful Shenzhou My Home’),” sung by a soprano before chairman Hong Jie strode on stage to rally his assembled ranks to shout in unison company slogans, such as “Full product range!…

Sustainability issues are currently dominating the US paint and coatings industry with challenges and opportunities arising from stringent regulations and growing green markets, generating demand for environment-friendly business practices and sustainable consumer lifestyles. This change comes as the industry hopes for a fillip from the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), reforming North American trading arrangements, which has been hailed by the American Coatings Association (ACA) as “a win for America’s paint industry”.…

From smartphones to space satellites, applications for conductive adhesives (transferring heat, electricity or both) are expanding rapidly and their innovative use and market size show little size of abating as new avenues reveal themselves through growth in sales and R&D programmes.…

European food and drink exporters to China can be expected to face strengthened competition from American rivals in future, after a preliminary ‘phase one’ trade deal between the USA and China included the reduction in non-tariff barriers to exported US products, including for meat, poultry, seafood, rice, dairy, infant formula and food biotechnology lines.…

WITH Middle East dairy sales expanding steadily, dairy suppliers from around the world are targeting its consumers, hoping to gain a foothold in an increasingly diverse marketplace that is often open to innovation.

Dairy Industries International attended the 4th Global Dairy Innovation Congress MENA 2020, held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from January 20-21, where participants were encouraged by sales projections as from market researcher Euromonitor International that the Middle East (and Africa) dairy market should expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 3% between 2019 and 2023.…

The Canadian automotive industry has welcomed the final text of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, which includes new flexibility over steel supplies to the North American automotive manufacturing industry.

David Adams, president, Global Automakers of Canada (which represents all Canadian auto manufacturers except for the Big Three), said the new amendments reflected Canadian government thinking and that now he expected “all three countries will work to ratify expeditiously….”,…

Tegra, the Atlanta, USA-based leading apparel manufacturing and supply chain provider, is expanding its workforce in Latin America, with new job posts in El Salvador’s compound as well as its soon to be opened facility in Honduras. Tegra’s plant in El Salvador, Decotex, was expanded to nearly 250,000 square feet in August (2019).…

MEXICAN clothing industry experts hope that the current stand-off over the ratification of the new United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) will be solved soon, given that they expect that it will cement Mexico’s position as a major apparel exporter to the USA and Canada.…

GLOBAL and regional public policies promoting environmental good practice and fighting climate change have long encouraged the growth of renewable energy production. And with concern about global warming sharpening, these goals – pushed by international and regional organisations and development banks – are here to stay.…

USA clothing and textile industry associations have welcomed the striking of a ‘phase 1’ trade agreement between the US and Chinese governments, which will prevent the imminent imposition of 10% ‘4B’ scheduled US duties on a wide range of Chinese knitwear, knitted fabrics, yarn and dyes.…

USA polyester textured yarn importers sourcing from China and India are being forced to pay deposits on their cargoes covering anticipated heavy anti-dumping and countervailing duties which could be imposed in the New Year. These traders and their manufacturing partners are awaiting a decision from the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in late December over claims from the US department of commerce (DoC) that Indian and Chinese yarn makers are both being unfairly subsidised by their government and dumping cheap excess production on American markets.…

SALES of light trucks – SUVs, CUVs, pick-ups and minivans – are rising in Canada, and the big question is how dominant this segment may become in this north American market. Sales hit 70.9% of the passenger vehicle market according to new 2018 data from Ontario-based DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc.…

AMERICAN textile manufacturers and farmers can start working in earnest to develop nationwide production of hemp fibre, after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released detailed and comprehensive regulations on how production and processing should be authorised and regulated.

USDA’s guidance has been awaited by the textile industry since the USA’s 2018 farm bill legalised hemp as an agricultural commodity, removing it from the federal list of controlled substances, as long as it did not contain more than 0.3% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the element that gives consumers of recreational and medicinal cannabis their high.…

With Pakistan’s digital textile printing industry production growing at an average of at least 5% annually in recent years, according to the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), with the country’s digital textile printing industry being an important focus of investment in a sometimes-troubled textile sector.…

RETALIATORY duties imposed by the USA in a trade dispute with the European Union (EU) over aeroplane subsidies will, argues Italian farmers union, Coldiretti, shrink Italian food exports to the US by 20%, with the Italian speciality cheese sector being the hardest hit.…

As national, regional and international legislation nudges the world away from its reliance on fossil fuels, corporations are increasingly sourcing renewable energy through the mechanism of green power purchase agreements (PPAs), whereby companies (and also utilities) act as an off-taker, making commitments for future renewable energy payments.…

The USA cosmetics industry is expecting to benefit from recently promulgated United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules that would facilitate increased legal cultivation of the hemp plant – the botanical source for cannabidiol (CBD), an ingredient already widely available in the US for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.…

METAL cans play an important role in enabling aid agencies to deliver food and drink to needy people in disaster zones and areas of food scarcity – being sturdy, stackable, and recyclable. The scale of some of these operations and hence their demand for canned food and drink is huge.…

Nicaragua, a leading apparel producer in Central America, has been suffering a decline in revenue on exports to the European Union (EU) this year, expect for one category that is bucking the trend: T-shirts.
According to the EU statistical office Eurostat, total revenue from the country’s apparel and footwear exports to the region dropped 6.8% to EUR178.2 million in the first half of 2019 from EUR191.2 million in the same period in 2018.…

THE NEW European Commission, which is now expected to assume office on December 1, is expected to push the further harmonisation of European Union (EU) food labelling rules regarding nutrition. Incoming EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, of Cyprus, said she wanted to see the Commission act against pack claims declaring that products were healthy when they contained “a high level of sugar, fat or salt”.…

While the USA-China trade war currently dominates headlines, nonwovens analysts predict it will be a “relatively short-term” issue and not harm north America’s growing nonwovens market in the longer term.

With smart applications and sustainability driving the sector worldwide, the north American nonwovens market looks set to capitalise on these growth areas, aiding recovery from a past 10 years marred by economic weakness and volatile crude oil prices.…

THE TRADE in knitwear between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is likely to intensify under a new trade deal between the two regional groupings.

The agreement, which now needs ratification, will phase out all EU duties charged on industrial goods (including knitted clothing and inputs) over 10 years.…

More than one in five or around 56 million people who accessed public services in Latin America and the Caribbean last year paid a bribe, according to the latest 18-country survey from Transparency International. The police notched up the highest bribery rate (24%), followed by other public services such as utilities (19%). …

Described by environmental campaigners as “the elephant in the COP21 negotiations room” when climate change proposals were agreed in Paris during 2015, today – the electrification of shipping is moving ahead apace.

From inland ferries to cargo barges and cruise ships, vessels are being built or retrofitted with renewable power propulsion sources, curbing the shipping industry’s major emissions.…

INTELLIGENT materials make for packaging with better functionality and security, and innovative producers worldwide are developing better protection for personal care products.

Market researcher Smithers Pira, in a January 2018 report The Future of Active & Intelligent Packaging to 2023, notes potential uses for cosmetics manufacturers includes greater levels of engagement with customers, more personalised products and enhanced security and tracking features.…

ISRAEL faces a particularly high terrorist-financing risk from outside its borders, while fraud, tax offences, organised crime, public sector corruption and the use of cash heighten domestic money laundering risks. The Israeli government has integrated these risks into its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) policies and laws.…

THE CANADIAN government has told wardsauto that it will wait for the release of a US final rule on federal automotive emissions before making any decisions on whether to follow the lead of the Trump administration on freezing emissions limits or imposing tougher tailpipe rules for Canada.…

A bipartisan bill has been proposed in the United States Senate to fill what the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has warned is a shortage of nearly 700 agricultural inspectors at ports of entry.

The Protecting America’s Food & Agriculture Act of 2019, if approved, would authorises the annual hiring by the CBP of 240 agricultural specialists every year until the workforce shortage is filled.…

THE TRADE war between China and the United States is creating additional opportunities for exporters of plastics, plastic products and ingredients in both these key markets, as both sides erect protective tariffs against each other.

In the latest round of duty escalation – while talks to resolve the dispute over American claims of Chinese misconduct regarding intellectual property misappropriation, industrial subsidies and market access stall – duties of 10% are being imposed by the USA on Chinese goods and 10% and 5% by China on US exports.…

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) trade deal struck with South America’s Mercosur group of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will open this emerging market to EU confectionery exporters, but Europe’s sugar sector fears increased Brazilian sugar exports. The agreement, which now needs to be ratified by both sides, will phase out Mercosur duties on EU exports of chocolate and sugar confectionery of 20%; biscuits (taxed at 20% to 35%); liquorice extract – 8%; and confectionery-making equipment – 14%.…

THE EUROPEAN metal packaging sector will be hoping that the newly negotiated European Union (EU)-Mercosur trade deal is ratified quickly, given it scraps import duties imposed by Brazil and Argentina on such exports of between 12% and 35%. These are the key markets in the South American trade bloc, that also includes comparative minnows Uruguay and Paraguay, whose protective duties shadow their larger Mercosur neighbours.…

Months after taking the reins as president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Dr Rubana Huq is determined to fulfill her key goal of ensuring the industry effectively monitors its own environmental and health standards.

It is an important job given how the country’s clothing and textile sector has worked to improve a safety reputation battered by the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster.…

THE INTENSIFYING trade war between the USA and China has proved to be an opportunity for some larger Chinese clothing manufacturing firms, some of which had already built capacity overseas, notably in southeast Asia, and Vietnam especially. These companies have been able to adjust to the worsening tariff barriers to the US market for China-sourced exports, whereas smaller companies unable to afford new SE Asia operations have suffered.…

INDIAN knitwear exporters are hoping for a windfall of orders from the US following a spurt in client enquiries, which industry leaders believe are linked to the US-China trade dispute and the latest tariff hike on Chinese clothing and textile exports to America.…

THE EMPATHY, connectedness and flexibility skills taught to students during an innovative international problem solving programme at the USA’s University of Oregon (UO) have manifested themselves in three prize-winning solutions to community problems.

These focused on environmental degradation, social inequality and public health, with students having 10 days this month to develop groundbreaking ideas for action at an Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Undergraduate Leaders Program.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) exporters of paints, varnishes and other coatings should gain market share in South America through a trade deal struck between the EU and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The agreement, which now needs ratification by both sides, will phase out all EU duties charged on industrial goods (including paints and coatings) over 10 years.…

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) trade deal struck with South America’s Mercosur group of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, should boost trade between the two blocs of industrial minerals. The agreement, which now needs to be ratified by both sides, will phase out all EU duties charged on industrial goods (including minerals and mineral items) over 10 years.…

Slovenia’s plastic industry has made a virtue out of the nation’s geographical position, located between the markets of central and western Europe and those of the Balkan states and the former Soviet Union. 

Drawing on these geographical – and historical political ties – the sector is geared towards exports, with these accounting for 62% of the value of the plastics industry, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS).…

THE TRADE in textile finishing chemicals and products made with them between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is likely to intensify under a new trade deal between the two regional groupings.

The agreement, which now needs ratification by both sides, will phase out all EU duties charged on industrial goods (including dyes and other finishers) over 10 years.…

IT has been another subdued year for the beauty and personal care product market in Latin America, as the region’s economy underperforms yet again after six years of deceleration (and in some countries outright recession), keeping a lid on sales growth. …

UNIVERSITIES and colleges in the USA are being accused of moving away from the so-called ‘American dream’ of social mobility, a panel discussion at the Worldviews Conference held at the University of Toronto, Canada, has heard. The focus of this debate was the question – what is the civic education mission of universities, colleges and the media in the 21st century, and how this is playing out in the United States?…

AN INTERNATIONAL market research company is predicting that the legalisation of recreational cannabis, notably in Canada, and now in 10 US states, could encourage tobacco consumers to shift from smoking to vaping, and even depress tobacco sales overall long term.

Shane MacGuill, head of tobacco at Euromonitor International, said that while in the short term, recreational cannabis legalisation “could support the Canadian tobacco market as consumers experiment with consumption of cannabis flower in combustible format”, he predicted “any bump will be relatively small and short lived”.…

WOLLASTONITE has been described by a Canadian producer as “a white mineral for a greener world,” and it seems governments, businesses and industries agree – with wollastonite is set to see increased market growth in its traditional uses plus a new focus on its powerful qualities to help tackle climate change.…

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) trade deal struck with South America’s Mercosur group of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will boost trade between the two blocs of non-ferrous metals and related articles. The agreement, which now needs to be ratified by both sides, will phase out all EU duties charged on industrial goods (including metals and metal items) over 10 years.…

INDIAN knitwear exporters are hoping for a windfall of orders from the US following a spurt in client enquiries, which industry leaders believe are linked to the US-China trade dispute and the latest tariff hike on Chinese clothing and textile exports to America.…

WOLLASTONITE has been described by a Canadian producer as “a white mineral for a greener world,” and it seems governments, businesses and industries agree – with wollastonite is set to see increased market growth in its traditional uses plus a new focus on its powerful qualities to help tackle climate change.…

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) trade deal struck with South America’s Mercosur group of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will boost trade between the two blocs of non-ferrous metals and related articles. The agreement, which now needs to be ratified by both sides, will phase out all EU duties charged on industrial goods (including metals and metal items) over 10 years.…

South Korea’s Sae-A Trading, one of the world’s largest apparel manufacturers and exporters, is considering building an estimated USD200 million high-tech industrial complex in Guatemala for making polyester yarns. Its goal – taking advantage of rising US demand for apparel made in Central America. …

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) trade deal struck with South America’s Mercosur group of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will open this emerging market to EU drinks exporters. The agreement, which now needs to be ratified by both sides, will phase out Mercosur duties on wine of 27%; whiskey and other spirits (taxed at 20% to 35%); and soft drinks (taxed at 20% to 35%).…

THE INTERNATIONAL Organization for Standardization (ISO) has launched a series of standards designed to help the cocoa industry ensure its products are both sustainably harvested and processed, but also traceable across their supply chains. Its ISO 34101 series is designed to promote good environmental and labour practices in a sector that involves sophisticated confectionery companies, global commodity traders and small farmers, often in poor countries, notably in west Africa.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has hailed a 272% increase in liquified natural gas (LNG) exports from the United States to the European Union (EU) since a landmark meeting last July (2018) between President Donald Trump and Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

Releasing trade data at a High-Level Business-to-Business Energy Forum staged in Brussels, where LNG executives from Europe and America discussed increasing this trade, the Commission said EU imports of US LNG in March hit a record 1.4 billion cubic metres.…

MONEY service businesses (MSBs) are having a tougher time operating in compliance with international AMF/CFT rules, especially those in emerging market countries, where they have to deal with a double challenge of tighter controls and derisking by banking partners.

MSBs throughout the Middle East, for instance, have been hit by derisking from correspondent banks as well as designations by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).…

Trade negotiators from the United States and China will meet for the second week in a row this Wednesday or Thursday, in what the American clothing sector hopes could be the final round of talks to resolve the trade war.

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox Business last week they hope to get to “the point where we can either recommend to the president we have a deal, or make a recommendation that we don’t,” emphasising the United States wants to “rebalance” the trade relationship.…

AFRICA is without doubt the continent to watch for airport and air traffic control investment in the future. It is the world’s second most populous continent (home to more than 1.2 billion people), and according to Airports Council International (World) – ACI World – Africa was the fastest growing region for air passenger traffic in 2017 and 2018, which rose 6.3% in 2017 year-on-year and 10.8% in 2018 to June year-to-date, year-on-year.…

THE LONG lines of customer to the cash register in Inditex stores – the giant Spanish company behind High Street fashion brands Zara, Bershka and Pull&Bear (among others) – are also now buying personal care products as well as clothes. They funnel customers through shelves that are not only bursting with low-cost impulse buys, such as hair accessories, smart phone covers and key rings, but now also Inditex scents.…

THE LEGALISATION nationwide of recreational cannabis in Canada last October (2018) was a groundbreaking move – a first for a major western country – and from this coming October 17, at the latest, one that may have significant implications for the beauty business.…

VIETNAMESE cotton yarn-makers face a period of uncertainty due to raw material price volatility and the ongoing trade war between the US and China which threatens demand stability from Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers. China is the largest importer of Vietnamese yarn and accounts for more than 60% of Vietnam’s total yarn exports. …

THE CANADIAN auto-sector, encouraged by its federal government, has been pushing ahead with a wide range of initiatives to try and make Canada an international high-tech hub of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) research and development.

These focus on the country’s existing auto-making hub Ontario, with – unusually – the capital Ottawa playing a key auto-manufacturing role, encouraged by its existing local tech sector.…

BRAZIL’S automotive industry sector is optimistic about the future, now that the new government of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has left the new Route 2030 package of industrial incentives untouched.

The President, who assumed office on January 1, had criticised Route 2030 (Rota 2030 in Portuguese) last November (2018), as a potential waste of money.…

With a growing population of guanacos, a llama-like animal that runs wild in Patagonia, the Argentine government is analysing how best to produce and export the natural fibre it yields, at prices like those commanded by vicuña wool. But hurdles stand in the way of getting it right and there are concerns that the approach could backfire if sustainable practices are not

 in place. …

El Salvador clothing manufacturers are seeking to solidify their focus on underwear exports, from basic cotton intimates to trendy and sophisticated lingerie. Flagship US-based underwear companies have settled production in this central American outsourcing hub, making a wide range of lingerie and more basic underwear, such as HanesBrands, Fruit of the Loom and Intradeco.…

IRELAND’S whistleblowing regime is to be strengthened to comply with a new European Union (EU) whistleblowing directive that was approved in April (2019) by the European Parliament. Reforms must be in place by 2021 and will build on Ireland’s Protected Disclosures Act 2014 – itself a step forward legally for Irish whistleblowing, according to Professor Kate Kenny, of the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI).…

THE ACCA-qualified group finance director for the largest conglomerate in Trinidad & Tobago and a key player in the Caribbean region – the ANSA McAL group – has aligned his personal professional ambitions with his company’s goal of sturdy sustained growth.…

THE UNITED States and Canada maybe two developed countries that have long-established anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) systems, but these have been found wanting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). While both countries continue to introduce AML/CFT reforms, they are unlikely to meet some key FATF demands.…

Transaction monitoring systems (TMS) are supposed to detect suspicious activities and provide useful information to AML/CFT law enforcement, but they are proving ineffective, with more than 90% of filings in the USA false positives, according to former chair of the US House of Representatives sub-committee on terrorism and illicit finance Steve Pearce.…

Tunisia’s textile and garment manufacturers hope that the signing of a new public/private partnership pact with the government will enable industry to meet its full potential.

Tunisian head of government (Prime Minister) Youssef Chahed signed on February 21 an agreement with UTICA (Tunisian Union of Industry, Business and Artisans) and FTTH (Tunisian Textile and Garment Federation) to create a public/private partnership to push through a five-year recovery and development plan.…

THE REDUCTION of transport costs for the mineral sector through high-capacity marine cargo handling solutions was a key topic of the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention held in Toronto, this month (March 3-6). The CSL Group Inc (CSL), a privately-owned shipping company based in Montréal, Québec, and the world’s largest owner and operator of self-unloading vessels, explained how its systems can improve the logistics chain and better integrate cargo loading with mining operations.…

The president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has said that he did not just expect by the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on tariffs, but that its protectionism may now start to ease as the 2020 election looms.…

While the confectionery industry is traditionally associated with high sugar levels and unhealthy indulgence, market research indicates that efforts to also appeal to consumers with a growing interest in health and wellness trends are paying off. According to UK-based market researcher GlobalData, in 2016 alone USD3.7 billion worth of confectionery with functional or fortified attributes was sold globally.…

THE HONG Kong government’s 2019 budget is to include a planned 75% reduction of profits tax, salaries tax and tax under personal assessment for the 2018-19 tax year, up to Hong Kong dollars HKD20,000 (USD2,547) per case. These breaks will cost HKD18.9 billion (USD2.4 billion), benefiting about 2.05 million taxpayers.…

WITH auto manufacturers looking for ways to light-weight electric and hybrid vehicles, to boost performance and battery life, the European Union (EU) is investing in a Spanish company that is seeking to develop recyclable thermo-plastic alternatives to rubber for auto parts.…

THE SUBMISSION to the White House by the US Department of Commerce of a report recommending whether and how the USA should impose tariffs on automotive and related parts on national security grounds has provoked significant concern worldwide.

President Donald Trump has 90 days from February 17 (to mid-May) to decide on whether to impose the tariffs under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.…

THE GLOBAL smart coatings sector is expected to record a year-on-year average annual gain in revenue of 31.5% over the next five years, with the market projected to reach USD11.68 billion by 2024 – compared to USD 885.5 million in 2015.…

BRITAIN, Germany and France have established a clearing house to facilitate non-USD trades with Iran, to help European companies to do business without falling foul of tightened American sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Based in Paris, and headed by former Commerzbank director Per Fischer, a German, the Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) is owned by the three supporting governments.…

TRADE-based money laundering (TBML) continues to be a complex typology that is tough for law enforcement to detect and ML regulators to control.

The risk is that with Iran being subject to new USA sanctions, the use of TBML is going to grow in the short term, warn experts.…

WITH Bahrain investigating its first major oil find in 86 years, the mineral sector will be keeping a close eye on exploration because this is an offshore shale oil and gas resource that will need fracking inputs to extract hydrocarbons.

“It is definitely very unique, a one of a kind oil find in shallower waters close to shore,” said Edgar van der Meer, senior research analyst at NRG Expert, in London.…

ANNOUNCEMENTS made at the Routes Americas conference for 2019 have demonstrated how the region’s civil aviation sector is expanding and providing more business to airports.

New Canadian low-cost carrier Jetlines, for example, unveiled plans to put conference host Quebec City on its route network when it begins operating later this year.…

THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has approved establishing disputes settlement panels ruling on whether retaliatory duties imposed by the European Union (EU), on US knitwear exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…

A FREE trade zone system in Egypt, linking its businesses with Israeli suppliers, is being targeted by Chinese companies wanting to access the USA, as the Trump trade war risks exports to America through standard channels. The resulting investment has been welcomed in Egypt, but some clothing and textile industry commentators are warning that large Chinese firms could muscle out local players unless Egyptian businesses are given time to mature.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) food and drinks sector will have to prepare itself to find alternative materials to plastics, after the European Parliament and EU Council of Ministers struck a deal on approving European Commission proposals to ban single-use plastics. Under a new directive – now on track to receive formal approval by this summer (2019) – the EU will ban the use of such materials where alternatives are easily available and affordable.…

EMBATTLED Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has launched appeal proceedings against a mammoth USD4.69 billion judgement as it fights on to salvage its reputation amid increasing claims its Baby Powder causes cancer.

Dubbed by one attorney as the biggest public health scandal after tobacco, the American personal care product giant is currently fending off almost 12,000 other lawsuits.…

EASTERN Europe remains a highly diverse market, where major beauty brands must think strategically to achieve economies of scale and a regional presence that really deliver profits. This is also a region where some markets are significantly bigger than others – with Russia and Poland being key targets.…

GERMANY’S paint and coatings sector seems set in stasis, with 2018 expected to be another year with a slight market downturn. That said, increased interest in sustainability continues to drive the demand for more ecologically friendly products.

Given the sluggishness of overall sales, the German industry has viewed with relief results from 2018’s third quarter, where the national coatings and printing ink sector saw a rise in exports.…

It is hard to avoid either a cosmetics store or an advertisement for one in Chinese cities today. A mind-boggling wave of new retailers set up by investment firms to cash in on the cosmetics and personal care boom are eagerly seeking franchisees around the country.…

THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has approved establishing disputes settlement panels ruling sought by the USA on whether retaliatory duties imposed by the European Union (EU), Canada, China, and Mexico on US confectionery and sweet bakery and associated ingredient exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…

The approval last week by the outgoing ‘lame duck’ Congress of the United States of an USD867 billion 2019 Farm Bill, which allocates subsidies to American farmers, has greeted with relief and enthusiasm by US meat and livestock producers.

With President Donald Trump expected to sign the bill into law this week, the certainty injected into the industry through this five-year spending plan is cheering farmers, including meat producers, who have seen steep declines in prices and revenues as a result of the US trade dispute with China.…

THE DUTCH Caribbean continues to have a weak reputation for fighting money laundering, and to a lesser extent terror financing, with the US 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) highlighting weaknesses in its three autonomous jurisdictions. See https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/268024.pdf

Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are ‘countries’ within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with their own prime ministers, while less populous islands Bonaire, St Eustatius (Statia) and Saba are municipalities, with fewer powers vested in their island councils, and the Dutch government being responsible for enforcing international anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) norms.…

CHINESE exports of knitted fabrics have been hit by major USA duties in the latest round of tit-for-tat tariffs imposed in the countries’ ongoing trade war. China exported USD470 million’s worth of knitted and crocheted fabrics to the USA in 2017, according to international trade data.…

AFRICAN garment and textile manufacturers have a long way to go to increase capacity, develop the supply chain and diversify overall production away from North Africa, an industry conference staged in Cairo has been told. But while north Africa accounts for more than USD10 billion out the continent’s USD13.54 billion in clothing and textile exports (during 2016, according to international trade data), the much discussed potential of Africa as the world’s next sourcing hub is starting to materialise.…

THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has approved establishing disputes settlement panels ruling on whether retaliatory duties imposed by the European Union (EU), Canada, China, and Mexico on US drinks exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…

AFRICAN garment and textile manufacturers have a long way to go to increase capacity, develop the supply chain and diversify overall production away from North Africa, an industry conference staged in Cairo has been told. But while north Africa accounts for more than USD10 billion out the continent’s USD13.54 billion in clothing and textile exports (during 2016, according to international trade data), the much discussed potential of Africa as the world’s next sourcing hub is starting to materialise.…

THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has approved establishing disputes settlement panels ruling on whether retaliatory duties imposed by the European Union (EU), Canada, China, and Mexico on US drinks exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…

THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has agreed to establish disputes settlement panels to rule on whether retaliatory duties imposed by Canada, China, and Mexico on US meat exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…

MPs in Canada have returned to their House of Commons after the traditional summer break, when they are expected to vote on a draft law, the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, that would ban the testing of cosmetics and their ingredients on annals in Canada and block the sale of personal care products that have been assessed using such techniques.…

WITH environmental concerns increasingly important worldwide as a key plank of sustainable development, the role that effective geo-textiles can play in ensuring infrastructure performs effectively in the longer term is underpinning demand for these products.

In June 2017, Global Market Insights released a report on geotextile market size by material, application, region, price, market share and forecasts for 2017–2024, which stated that “positive application outlook in construction, agriculture, erosion control, and drainage should drive geotextile market size” globally.…

AN INDUSTRIAL chemical used to make paints, primers, varnishes and coatings should be regarded as carcinogenic and regulated accordingly, a European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) committee has concluded. Its committee for risk assessment (RAC) said that exposure butanone oxime carried this risk as well as causing drowsiness or dizziness if swallowed and being harmful in contact with skin, could cause damage to the upper respiratory tract after a single exposure and damage to the blood system through prolonged or repeated exposure.…

Charities continue to be at risk of being exploited by terrorist groups looking to transfer money and finance their operations, with the Middle East a high-risk area.

These non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are, however, criticising the extra scrutiny the sector is facing from regulators, banks and governments, saying it is driving charity financing into the shadows, actually increasing risks of financing by crime and terror groups.…

THE IMPENDING December 1 expiration of the Dominican Republic Earned Import Allowance Program (DR 2-for-1 or EIAP) has been met with equanimity by the Caribbean country and its manufacturers who hope the trading relationships created by the system can expand.

With the CAFTA-DR (Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement) continuing, the Dominican deputy minister of foreign trade Yahaira Sosa said in a recent speech: “Although not everything has gone as planned, regarding… exports and attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI), there are points that deserve to be highlighted.”…

COMMENTATORS may scoff at President Donald Trump’s ‘Art of the Deal’ negotiating pretentions, but it would be hard to argue that the American food sector was not a winner in the new USA-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, stuck on September 30.…

THE PLASTICS industries of the United States, Canada and Mexico have something to cheer about – at last – from American trade policy – a north American trade deal that cuts regulatory barriers as well as tariffs. But as these three plastics markets – with a combined population of close to 500 million people – become more integrated, will this make them a tougher mark for European plastics exporters, who lack trade deals with the USA, especially.…

COLLABORATION between processors and national institutions is the key to boosting the

downtrodden dairy industry in Senegal, agriculture experts have warned, with European

suppliers denying their cheap exports are to blame for a dearth of dairy development in the west

African country.…

The recent sight of a Chinese internet celebrity in a milking parlour in Limerick could be a hint of what the future holds for Ireland’s increasingly international dairy industry. Xiao Lu Yu, one of the ‘influencers’ who monetise Chinese social media (see https://m.weibo.cn/status/4279583182420503…

AMERICAN confectioners may suffer from the latest tit-for-tat tariff exchange between the USA and China, with retaliatory duties from China targeting US confectionery exports. Many of these duties are high – at 25% – imposed from September 24 on US-made sugar; cocoa powder; milk powder; honey; jams; and more; plus 20% duties on US-made confectionery without cocoa; chewing gum; some chocolates; and more.…

Indonesia is seeking to open new markets for its textile and garment products – not only are free trade agreements with Australia and fellow Asian countries are on the cards, the industry’s association and the government has announced, but the industry is also targeting African export sales.…

THE CHINESE cigarette manufacturing sector will be counting the cost of new duties imposed on its exports to the USA in the latest tit-for-tat tariff round imposed during the ongoing trade war between Beijing and Washington.

This follows the US Trade Representative (USTR) on September 18 confirming that America will be imposing additional 10% tariffs on a wide range of tobacco products, including leaf, from China.…

THE CHINESE government has directly targeted the American knitwear sector in the latest tit-for-tat response in the trade wars launched by US President Donald Trump. Beijing has highlighted knitted goods in a list of products that maybe subject to retaliatory tariffs, should the USA impose a threatened third list of duties on Chinese tech, drafted over alleged thefts of American IP.…

AMERICAN and Chinese automotive parts exporters could both suffer from the latest tit-for-tat round of protective duties imposed by their governments.

China exporters may have the most to lose if the US tariffs deter American purchases. The US Trade Representative (USTR) confirmed on September 18 that the US America will be imposing 10% tariffs on a wide range of products, also including personal care exports, from China.…

CHINA’S ministry of finance has responded swiftly to the announcement that America will be imposing 10% tariffs on food exports from China from September 24, with Beijing imposing retaliatory tariffs.

Some of these tariffs are higher than the US rates – to be imposed the same day – at 25% on a wide range of food products, including US-made fresh or cold boned lamb; dried, smoked and salted beef; frozen peas and frozen spinach; pepper; a range of starches, including from potatoes; a wide range of edible oils; mustard; sugar; cocoa powder; milk powder; stuffed pasta; jams; and more –

ee https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgss.mof.gov.cn%2Fzhengwuxinxi%2Fzhengcefabu%2F201808%2Ft20180803_2980950.html&sandbox=1…

GREENLAND’S coalition government has lost its parliamentary majority after accepting that the Danish state could pay Danish Krone DKK700 million (USD109 million) to secure a 33% share of Greenlandic airport operator Kalaallit Airports A/S. Partii Naleraq, a pro-independence party, quit the ruling bloc because it would give Denmark, which controls Greenland defence and foreign policy, control over island transport policy.…

THE US meat industry will be counting the cost of retaliatory tariffs announced today (Sept 18) by the Chinese government on American meat exports. This follows the US Trade Representative (USTR) today confirmed that America will be imposing 10% tariffs on a wide range of products, including meat exports, from China.…

THE US Trade Representative (USTR) today confirmed that America will be imposing 10% tariffs on drinks exports from China from September 24, rising to 25% on January 1 (2019), with the Chinese government responding immediately with retaliatory tariffs. The US action covers a wide range of drinks imports from China, including beer, wine (sparkling, still and including rice wine), and alcoholic spirits used for fortification – undenatured ethyl alcohol of 80% abv or higher.…

WITH the old certainties that the world would move steadily towards ever freer trade now crumbling, the technical textile sector is closely monitoring shifts in trade policy by key governments and international organisations.

This industry depends on the free flow of materials and finished goods – and unlike many textile segments – still has a significant manufacturing presence in mature markets, making the impact of trade policy changes complex and hard to predict.…

SOLAR energy in Africa ought to be a no brainer. The continent has lot of sun, and weak electricity supplies, especially in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. And yet, climate finance that has developed since the Paris climate change agreement of 2015, that could help grow green energy in this sunny continent, has not focused on Africa.…

THE AMERICAN personal care product sector is counting the cost of retaliatory tariffs announced yesterday (Sept 18) by the Chinese government on American beauty exports.

This follows the US Trade Representative (USTR) confirming that America will be imposing 10% tariffs on a wide range of products, also including personal care exports, from China.…

THE CHINESE government has directly targeted the American confectionery and related ingredients sector in its latest tit-for-tat response in the trade wars launched by US President Donald Trump. Beijing has highlighted these goods as products that may become subject to retaliatory tariffs, should the USA impose a threatened third list of duties on Chinese tech, drafted over alleged thefts of American IP.…

They say the UK can forge its own future by negotiating bespoke trade deals that reflect British interests rather than those of Brussels. But the more comprehensive deals Britain strikes, the more its room to manoeuvre will shrink – because all its trading partners (who are also striking deals with each other) will have to agree the same or similar terms for such deals to work.…

NEW European Union (EU) rules on whistleblower protection proposed by the European Commission will help the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, EU experts have told Money Laundering Bulletin.

The proposals unveiled on April 23 for a directive ‘on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law[*], “will strengthen the enforcement of the fourth anti-money laundering directive [4AMLD], complementing the directive’s existing rules [Article 61] on whistleblower protection, aligning them with the common high standards of protection,” a Commission official said.…

International garment buyers visiting Nicaragua on sourcing trips have been warned to take additional precautions by a security expert linked to the US Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) because of the ongoing and escalating political unrest.

They are being advised liaise closely with local contacts about appropriate travel plans and potential factory closures, being aware that manufacturers may be wary of making public statements about the troubles, to avoid upsetting the government.…

US textile manufacturer HanesBrands says it has invested USD5.2 million in new technology and staff in El Salvador in the last six months and plans to inject USD5.2 million more in the central American country by the New Year. The international manufacturer has so far this year set up a new garment dying line at its San Juan Opico, La Libertad department plant, expanded its socks production in the same complex, and increased its workforce to meet global demand.…

THE HONDURAS clothing sector industry association has welcomed the expansion of the Central American Customs Union into a three-country bloc, with El Salvador joining Guatemala and Honduras to forge a light border trading zone of more than 32 million people. El Salvador will officially accede to the union (see below for more information) in November, allowing 95% of products manufactured in its members to freely circulate in the region duty free through common customs, security, and other rules, strengthening local supply chains.…

EUROPE can meet its goal of cleaning up the power sector several years earlier than by the European Union’s (EU) self-imposed deadline of 2050, according to Kristian Ruby, secretary general of the Union of the Electricity Industry – Eurelectric, the sector association representing the industry at pan-European level.…

LARGE motorway service areas have become a recent feature of the Irish landscape, with plaza-type facilities incorporating fuel, food and grocery retailers under one roof.  However, the key players in the forecourt market, which is increasingly held by Irish firms Maxol and Applegreen, along with Canadian newcomer Couche-Tard – are now racing to reposition themselves given the Irish government plans by 2030 to end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles.…

THE SCALE of Italy’s paints and varnishes sector remained relatively unchanged through 2017, according to AVISA, a division of Federchimica, the national chemicals industry association. Werther Colonna, president of AVISA, told Polymers Paint Colour Journal (PPCJ) that the sector suffered a difficult year in 2017, marked by a succession of ups and downs, which translated into fluctuating monthly sales.…

THE FRENCH paint and varnishes industry saw sales decline for the third consecutive year in 2016, contracting by 1.6% year-on-year to EUR2.9 billion, according to market research company Euromonitor International. It believes, however, that business should pick up in the coming years due to rising construction of homes.…

CONCERNS continue to grow about capacity in anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) systems, with managers being urged to take advantage of the AML profession’s openness to change.

A Dow Jones/ACAMS (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists) global anti-money laundering survey focusing on retail and commercial banking, private banking/wealth management and investment banking, released April 2016, showed 60% of respondents cited increased regulatory expectations as the greatest AML compliance challenge (http://files.acams.org/pdfs/2016/Dow_Jones_and_ACAMS_Global_Anti-Money_Laundering_Survey_Results_2016.pdf…

THE USA’s clothing industry has met in Washington DC to plot tactics designed to push the Trump administration away from a protectionist policy that it regards as potentially damaging for brands, retailers and their consumers.

A trade symposium staged last Thursday (July 12) by the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) united clothing sector executives, compliance chiefs, customs specialists and government affairs managers.…

Looking to tap into Europe’s growing hunger for Japanese cuisine – and ramen noodles especially – noodle-maker Takara Sangyo Co Ltd, has announced plans to open its first European production facility in France.

The company, which is headquartered in Kyoto, is to invest EUR2.6 million in establishing a new plant in the town of Amblainville, Hauts-de-France region, in northern France, although no date has yet been set for production to commence, an official told just-food.com.…

The digital integration of Bangladesh’s booming textiles and garment sector is gaining pace, with ‘Industry 4.0’ becoming a watchword for becoming more competitive. One company that has been taking such technological development very seriously is the Dhaka-based DBL Group, which has targeted digital efficiencies to turbocharge its business growth. …

AN INNOVATIVE air traffic management switch from land-based ATC services using classic vectoring, to a performance-based navigation (PBN) arrangement using airliner satellite positioning and RNP-AR (required navigation performance – authorisation required) has dramatically increased the traffic capacity of El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia.…

CHINA’S automotive manufacturing sectors will be counting the cost of new tariffs announced today (Friday, June 15) by the USA Trade Representative (USTR). They involve USD50 billion’s worth of Chinese exports being hit by 25% duties, additional to any other duties already applied.…

GROWTH of distributed renewable power generation with storage is set to pick up significantly in key global regions of demand for electricity. Quantifying its impact on the rate at which renewables will capture share in the energy mix is made difficult by its often-hidden nature, but some utilities and energy policy makers are starting to get to grips with the challenge – the eventual results will be of interest to oil and gas marketers.…

EDUCATIONALISTS have called upon Kenyan universities to include social justice and transformation in their teaching curriculum, to prepare graduates to serve their societies selflessly and diligently.

At a conference called ‘Touching Hearts, Teaching Minds and Transforming Lives’, staged at Tangaza University College, in the capital Nairobi, delegates were told Kenyan students are not fully prepared for the society they are expected work and serve within, upon graduation in the current system.…

THE NONWOVENS sector has always been at the cutting edge of materials production, and so established developed economy manufacturers have often had the edge. But with global markets integrating, and emerging economies becoming increasingly sophisticated, new nonwovens manufacturing bases are growing all the time.…

CHINA’S lithium battery manufacturers will be counting the cost of new tariffs announced on Friday (June 15) by the USA Trade Representative (USTR). They involve USD50 billion’s worth of Chinese exports being hit by 25% duties, additional to any other duties already applied.…

AMERICA’S pork exporters will be counting the cost of new 25% tariffs announced on Saturday (June 16), by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of China, on USA-made meat and poultry exports. The duties were a response to tariffs announced the day before (June 15) by the USA Trade Representative (USTR), on China-made meat preparation and poultry-keeping equipment.…

THE USA personal care product industry is under fire, with the European Union (EU) and Canada and Mexico announcing plans to impose protective duties on American exports following the decision by the Trump administration to levy tariffs on streel and aluminium exports on these key trading partners.…

EUROPE’S plastics manufacturing and plastics manufacturing machine sectors may be able to increase exports to the USA and China because of the trade war between the two countries that has broken out.

New American tariffs announced (Friday, June 15) by the USA Trade Representative (USTR) involve USD50 billion’s worth of Chinese exports being hit by 25% duties, additional to any other duties already applied, imposed over claims that Chinese companies are filching American intellectual property.…

THE USA personal care product industry is under fire, with the European Union (EU) and Canada and Mexico announcing plans to impose protective duties on American exports following the decision by the Trump administration to levy tariffs on streel and aluminium exports on these key trading partners.…

THE LATIN American personal care product market, buffeted in recent years by economic and political instability, looks back on track, with trouble-spots such as Venezuela being very much an exception to overall progress.

Data released by market researcher Euromonitor International has said that the region’s beauty and personal care product sales in 2017 topped USD65 billion in 2017, growing by 42.5% between 2012 and last year.…

THE INTERNATIONAL Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has released an ambitious policy plan designed to steer the industry towards sustainability. Called the Berlin Declaration, having been released at the fourth World Cocoa Conference, of governments, farmers, traders, grinders, processors, manufacturers, researchers, trade unions, civil society organisations, trade unions, consumer organisations, it says higher farm gate prices should be paid.…

THE AMERICAN and Canadian automotive industries will be counting the cost of new tariffs being imposed on steel and aluminum traded between their countries, following the decision yesterday by the Trump administration to start collecting 25% on Canadian steel and 10% on aluminum.…

Argentina’s auto industry had expected a near record year in 2018, but unexpected financial problems that have hit the country in the past month could push the economy into recession and dampen local demand for cars. 
These problems are a far cry from the optimism expressed on April 4, when the heads of three carmakers spoke bullishly about production and sales growth at a business conference staged in Buenos Aires by economic consultancy Invecq Consulting. …

THE IMPOSITION of tariffs on American imports of steel and aluminium has prompted anger in Mexico, which is the largest US aluminium buyer and the second largest buyer of American steel. However, with Mexico also a major exporter of these metals to the USA (USD1.7 billion’s worth of steel and iron was sent north in 2017 and USD1 billion’s worth of Mexican aluminium was sold to the US last year), the tariffs will harm Mexico’s economy.…

The Indian government has launched a disputes proceeding at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), protesting at the USA’s imposition of duties of 25% and 10% on imports of India-made steel and aluminium products.

New Delhi argues that the tariffs, imposed on March 23 by the Trump administration to protect and expand American aluminium and steel production, break the WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its Agreement on Safeguards.…

TECHNIQUES for using forensic linguistics to detect fraud continue to be refined as experts debate the best and most reliable way to use such technology and practices. Indeed, specialists continue to disagree over how forensic linguistics should be used in the anti-fraud arena.…

TECHNICAL textile markets can be driven and shaped by a range of forces – from natural disasters, to technological change, economic developments and political movements. In the case of the USA, at present, the technical textile market and industry is being moved by all these influences at the same time.…

A GROWING wave of sophisticated digital technologies and automation is helping the US apparel sector to produce custom-made, locally-manufactured, on-demand clothing, at a scale that some critics thought was never possible.

Atlanta US-based machine vision and Artificial Intelligence start-up SoftWear Automation Inc, which launched autonomous sewing worklines in 2012 after seven years of research – says it has successfully overcome this challenge.…

The National Cotton Council of America (NCC) has warned that “China’s announcement of significantly higher proposed tariffs on US raw cotton shipped to that country would significantly harm the economic health of the US cotton industry.”

Commenting on how the Chinese government has said it may impose these duties if the USA goes ahead with its plans to impose 25% duties on mostly technological imports from China (including textile machinery), the NCC noted that for the current 2017 crop year, China is America’s second largest cotton export market, with purchases of approximately 2.5 million bales of US cotton.…

HIGH textile industry production costs in Argentina are encouraging manufacturers to look at investments in digital fabric printing to give them the flexibility they need to compete against imports and in export markets.

At a recent textile trade fair this month (April) in Buenos Aires, digital technology was all the buzz. …

THE ORGANISERS of Italy’s premier beauty trade fair, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, are claiming a record number of visitors and international buyers attending this year’s 51st edition of the event from March 15-19. Exceeding the 250,000 visitors from last year’s Cosmoprof, attending foreign buyers, distributors and retail representatives grew 11% in 2018, year-on-year.…

THE MARITIME industry has been slow to acknowledge the threat posed to it by cyber attacks but the increasing connectivity of technologies across all layers of the supply chain create a tempting target for hackers. Sarah Gibbons reports. 

WITH increasing levels of connectivity across global supply chains, the maritime industry faces a significant risk of cyber-attacks.…

TRADE in clothing and textiles between Brazil and Argentina has been growing, as manufacturers in these neighbouring South America countries rein in their comparatively high costs, according to international trade data. Brazilian textile and apparel exports to Argentina rose 4.9% to USD251 million in 2017 from USD239 million in 2016, while Brazil’s imports from its southern neighbour shot up 22.6% to USD86.9 million from USD70.9 million over the same period. …

Are students and academics free to speak their mind on university and college campuses in north America? And how should higher education institutions respond when one person’s free speech silences or harms another? These issues have been highlighted at the fourth annual Worldviews Lecture at the University of Toronto, at which University World News was a media sponsor.…

THE INTERNATIONAL knitwear sector has found itself at the centre of the ongoing turmoil in global trade relations, with major jurisdictions considering imposing tariffs on knitted products, inputs and related machinery.

One concern focuses on how the USA has proposed imposing 25% duties on a wide-range of China-made manufactured goods over alleged thefts of American intellectual property by Chinese industrialists.…

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has raised significant concerns about the risk of 25% duties being imposed on imports into China of American-produced cotton, as the latest trade row between Washington and Beijing ramps up.

Stung by the announcement of the USA’s planned imposition of 25% duties on a wide-range of Chinese manufactured goods (among them clothing-making machinery, such as knitting machines and finishing equipment), over allegations of intellectual property theft, China has announced possible retaliatory duties.…

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) conference in Washington DC, on April 25, has heard how the clothing sector needs to boost innovation to sharpen its competitive edge in commercially uncertain times.

Whether creating prototypes from designs within minutes through 3D printing, fabrics being dyed as completed pieces and introducing wearable technology throughout wardrobes, speakers stressed how new concepts could all become mainstream in the clothing industry’s future.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has warned that is prepared to impose temporary safeguard duties on imports into the EU of USA-made tobacco and tobacco products, if the US government imposes import duties on EU-made aluminium and steel imports.

Washington sparked a major diplomatic row when announcing the duties.…

THE FUTURE of Indonesia’s textile and garment industry could be bright, but it companies must deal with the challenges of high energy costs and competition from regional neighbours to succeed, said Ade Sudrajat the chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia).…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has warned that is prepared to impose temporary safeguard duties on imports into the EU of USA-made trucks, as it launched its reaction to the erection of American import duties on aluminium and steel imports.

The EU executive, the European Commission, has released a draft list of products which may in future attract retaliatory duties, and this includes trucks weighing under five tonnes, above and below 2,500cc engine capacity, which are diesel and semi-diesel.…

International activity to understand and potentially extract natural gas from methane hydrates has intensified since 2010 with the continuation and launch of new research and development (R&D) projects and field production tests offshore and onshore, as shown in a new overview by Carolyn D Ruppel, chief of the gas hydrates project at the United States Geological Survey (USGS).(1)…

THE EUROPEAN Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) committee for risk assessment (RAC) has proposed a recommended occupational exposure limit (OEL) for paint and coating ingredient benzene, a genotoxic carcinogen causing leukaemia. Following an inquiry, the committee has concluded that the threshold should be based on indirect genotoxic effects of benzene in workers, including paint and coating manufacturing staff – recommending a low European Union (EU)-wide limit of 0.05 parts per million.…

THE GROWTH in global renewable energy and electric car markets is already changing the face of the industrial minerals sector and it will continue to shape demand for years to come, a senior Toronto-based industry conference has been told.

Vancouver-based Gianni Kovacevic, CEO of CopperBank Resources, told this year’s Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention that mineral resource companies needed to analyse the likely impact of climate change, and how it feeds into energy and transport infrastructure spending and related environmental regulation.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned that is prepared to impose temporary safeguard duties on imports into the EU of USA-made glass and ceramics, as it launched its reaction to new American import duties on aluminium and steel imports.

The Commission, has released a draft list of products which may in future attract retaliatory safeguard duties.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned that is prepared to impose temporary safeguard duties on imports into the EU of USA-made steel and aluminium, as it launched its reaction to new American import duties on aluminium and steel imports.

The Commission, has released a draft list of products which may in future attract retaliatory duties, and this includes a wide range of aluminium and steel products: bars, rods, angles, plate, wire, and more.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has warned that is prepared to impose temporary safeguard duties on imports into the EU of USA-made apparel and textile inputs, as it launched its reaction to the establishment of American import duties on aluminium and steel imports.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission today (March 7) put the US food manufacturing industry on notice that it is prepared to impose safeguard duties on American food and drink exports, should President Donald Trump go ahead with his threat to saddle US steel and aluminium imports with heavy tariffs.…

VIRGIN Atlantic has welcomed plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport, calling it “once in a generation opportunity to radically transform airline competition at Heathrow.” And it hoped that that such an expansion would result in lower charges for passengers.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission today (March 7) put the US food manufacturing industry on notice that it is prepared to impose safeguard duties on American drinks exports, should President Donald Trump go ahead with his threat to saddle US steel and aluminium imports with heavy tariffs.…

REPRESENTATIVES of the USA fashion and apparel industries, along with most of the country’s business community and Congressional leadership, are voicing concern about President Donald Trump’s March 1 announcement that he intends to impose additional tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminium.…

Representatives of the USA beef industry are voicing consternation over the Chinese government’s announcement that the country is preparing retaliatory sanctions against beef exports as part of its escalating trade war with the United States.

Kent Bacus, director of international trade and market access for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (USA), followed up the April 4 Chinese announcement of a potential 25% tariff on USA beef exports with an immediate statement of concern.…

RUNNING a complex international air travel business that recovering from 2017’s devastating hurricane season, Caribbean airline boss Julie Reifer-Jones is having to draw on her near three decades’ experience in senior financial management.

Immaculately presented, in killer heels, Reifer-Jones FCCA is not just the first female CEO of Antigua-based airline LIAT, she is the only female CEO of any airline in the Caribbean.…

THE MALAYSIAN textile industry is pinning hopes on a government decision to reintroduce an export-targeted grant to revive the sector’s declining overseas business.  

The decision to reintroduce the Market Development Grant, offered to SMEs, was announced during the 2018 national budget unveiled in October 2017.…

BRITISH automakers who may be eying lucrative American markets as an alternative to sales that could be lost if the UK quits the European Union (EU) as planned next March (2019) could be disappointed, say experts.

This is despite data released by the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) at the end of January indicating exports of UK-made cars to the US rose by 7% year-on-year in 2017 to almost 210,000 units.…

US Bancorp and its subsidiary, the US Bank National Association (US Bank), the fifth largest bank in the United States, will pay USD598 million in charges, penalties and forfeits to American regulators and judicial authorities over failures to operate effective anti-money laundering (AML) systems.…

IF there is one issue that is a key focus of the north American nonwovens sector this year, it has to be the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Tri-lateral talks have now reached their eighth round, with an objective of achieving a new deal by this summer, although observers believe this timescale might slip.…

IF there is a quality that gives many Israeli companies an edge internationally, it is innovation. And this trait can certainly be said to run through the work of Israeli apparel major Delta Galil, based in Caesarea, northern Israel.

“We could not succeed if we were not innovative” said Isaac Dabah, the company’s CEO of Delta Galil, in an exclusive interview with just-style, held at his office.…

With China losing its sheen as a low-cost manufacturing heartland, Bangladesh’s clothing exporters are tapping into this opportunity by diversifying into another new higher margin segment — suits.

Senior executives and analysts told just-style how potential larger profits are drawing in major manufacturers, who are now confronting the challenges of building technical knowhow, recruiting skilled labour and attracting global buyers available. …

JAPANESE wagyu beef exports to Taiwan are set to soar as meat producers tap into demand following the lifting of a 16-year ban on the product, while riding on the tailwind of a Japanese government promotional campaign.

The ban on imports of Japanese wagyu, imposed after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease in Japan in 2001, was lifted by the Taiwan government last September (2017).…

THE CIVIL aviation industry – for very good safety reasons – is one of the most regulated industries in the world. And suppliers of aviation textiles have to take note. Regulations spring from the Convention on International Civil Aviation, whose annex 8 covers the airworthiness of aircraft.…

WITH tobacco being a key driver of Zambia’s agriculture sector and a past reliable source of export earnings, a recent decline in leaf production has taken a heavy toll on this southern African country’s economy. Indeed, Zambia saw its agricultural foreign exchange earnings (of all farm-based products) fall by USD100 million in 2017, according to Zambia’s agriculture ministry.…

THE GLOBAL speciality chemical market has been showing steady gains over the past few years and is set to continue in its growth trajectory, according to latest data. According to data from Pune, India-based global research company Allied Market Research, the global industry was worth USD175.4 billion in 2014 and has since shown promising growth to USD184 billion in 2015, USD193 billion in 2016 and USD202.5 billion in 2017.…

EXPANSION within the paint and coatings industry and market in the United States managed to outpace the US economy in 2017, growing at about 3% in volume (regarding production) and over 3.3% in value (sales), ahead of the most recently recorded GDP growth rate of 2.6% as of Q4 of 2017.…

THE AUTOMOTIVE sector is a hotbed of growth for industrial performance materials like nonwovens. And the global market for such materials have the potential to cross the EUR2 billion mark soon, according to Germany-based Freudenberg Performance Materials Holding SE & Co KG.…

High on the agenda of Dr Oetker India managing director and chief executive officer Oliver Mirza is making India a major production hub, not just for manufacturing packaged foods scoring sales in India’s growing markets, but also for exports.

In a wide-ranging interview with just-food on the sidelines of the India Food Forum, staged in Mumbai last month (January 17-19), Mirza said that by 2020, Dr Oetker India was targeting sales of Indian Rupees INR10 billion (USD155 million) of which its sub-brand FunFoods will account for INR5 billion (USD 77.50 million).…

FINANCIAL fraud, as all practitioners know, has become increasingly international, a trend that will doubtless continue. For law enforcers based on national units of theoretically sovereign countries, this poses challenges, and one particularly tough nut to crack are procedures to extradite suspects to face trial in the country where their alleged victims reside.…

TARGETING online fraud as businesses, government and consumers increasingly conduct business and transactions via the Internet is an increasing priority for anti-fraud technology providers.

Real-time identification of potential frauds is a key focus of new systems developed and released in the past year.…

AFTER years of slow growth since 2008, eastern Europe’s now mature cosmetics and personal care market has continued to show marginal gains in products sales in the past year, according to experts.

The region’s cosmetics and personal care products sales edged to USD23.67 billion in 2017 from USD21.74 billion in 2016, counting sales in Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Georgia.…

China will boast the world’s number one cosmetics market in 2018 according to global financial services firm Morgan Stanley: it will account for 20% of total sales, compared to 17% for the second-placed USA and 10% for third placed Japan – overtaking America for the first time, it said.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers today (December 5) adopted a money laundering blacklist, bringing widespread criticism because the listing – designed to prevent tax fraud and evasion – only covers countries outside the 28-nation bloc. Despite the European Commission screening 92 jurisdictions worldwide, the final list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in taxation matters only contains 17 jurisdictions: American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam (another US territory), South Korea, Macau (a China special administrative region), the Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).…

THE STRATEGY and business development director of global aviation and transport systems giant Thales predicts that a global set of comprehensive rules controlling unmanned aircraft could be in place by 2019. That would be the year of the next triennial assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and allow enough time for expertise to be developed in countries such as the USA, Singapore, Australia, and the UK, that are leading on drone regulation.…

INTERNATIONAL specialists in exchanging aviation systems data are highlighting for the need for developing a comprehensive global guideline for rolling out SWIM (system wide information management), an international ATC conference has been told. Speaking to this week’s (December 11-15) GANIS (Global Air Navigation Industry Symposium) at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) headquarters in Montréal, Canada, Alexander Pufahl, ICAO’s information management technical officer, declared: “It has to be a global system.…

OECD SAYS 49 JURISDICTIONS WILL AUTOMATICALLY EXCHANGE TAX INFORMATION THIS YEAR

THE IDENTITY of 49 jurisdictions that will automatically exchange tax information in 2017 under a global standard has been revealed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD).…

African clothing exporting countries are banking on rising costs in China and changing consumption patterns worldwide to attract buyers to the continent to take advantage of lower production costs.

Major hurdles abound, but manufacturers are hopeful that clothing facilities built from scratch that abide by international best practices will help the continent’s apparel sector develop.…

THE USA clothing industry, reliant on free trading, has not had much welcome from the populist policies of the administration of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in the Congress. The sector has helped see off plans to impose a border adjustment tax (BAT), which would have crippled importers and is currently lobbying for a successful outcome to the decision to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).…

Prospects for trade deals that have underpinned the growth in American clothing and textile imports and exports appear increasingly precarious as the administration of President Donald Trump passes the 300-day mark, participants at a clothing industry conference heard this week.

Concern is especially severe regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as indicated by ‘SaveNAFTA’ being the password to access a mobile app provided to attendees at the 29^th annual Apparel Importers Trade & Transportation Conference held by the American Import Shippers Association (AISA) and the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) on November 15, in New York City.…

DATA has been released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) that shows how African governments collect less tax as a proportion of their countries’ wealth than in Latin America and the Caribbean. Africa’s average 2015 tax-to-GDP ratio was 19.1%; compared to 22.8% in Latin America/Caribbean and 34.3% for the 35 richer countries within the OECD.…

The trial of three former high-flying football executives kicked off in New York on Monday
(Nov 13). The former president of the Brazil Football Association (CBF) José Maria Marin;
former Paraguayan president of the South America football confederation (CONMEBOL)
Juan Ángel Napout; and former president of the Peruvian Football Association (FPF) Manuel
Burga are all charged with racketeering and bribery over TV rights to the Copa América and
Copa Libertadores football tournaments.…

Of course, it is not doing this by increasing policing and the number of suspicious transaction reports, but by liberalising what is now a criminal activity, the growing, processing, sale and consumption of cannabis for recreation.

By doing so, it plans to be the first G20 country to legalise and regulate the recreational use of cannabis nationwide by July 2018.…

THE RUSSIAN government has expanded the range of meat and livestock imports that it is blocking from the USA and the European Union (EU) and other associated countries who have been imposing sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of the Crimea and support for Ukraine separatists.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British and other European Union (EU) knitwear companies, especially brands with integrated upstream fabric and finishing units, should the UK quit the EU as planned, on March 29, 2019.…

WITH the introduction of Bill C-45 into the Canadian House of Commons earlier this year, and its securing a second reading vote in June (see https://openparliament.ca/bills/42-1/C-45/), Canada’s government has moved closer to removing millions of dollars of dirty money from its economy.…

AS one of the world’s leading financial centres and a traditional bridge to mainland China for international business, Hong Kong has long been in the crosshairs of global money laundering investigations.

Hong Kong featured in the infamous ‘Russian laundromat’ scandal, uncovered by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), that saw USD20 billion moved out of Russia between 2010 and 2014 through a web of shell companies.…

Multinationals and suppliers in the personal care product sector are unilaterally implementing measures to reduce their carbon footprint in the wake of the 2015 Paris climate treaty, taking steps to reduce energy use, their impact on forests and cutting water use and pollution.…

THE BRAZILIAN arm of Brussels-based speciality chemical firm Solvay says that it is prospering in Brazil though sales of biodegradable polyamide yarn Amni Soul Eco, reflecting the demand for bio-based materials and products in Latin America’s largest country.

Renato Boaventura, CEO of the Brazil Rhodia Solvay Group’s ‘fibras global business unit’ told WTiN.com…

‘Colourful’,’ young’, ‘big’ and ‘clever’ are words often bandied about to describe the positive qualities of Brazil, and they certainly could be used to define La Estampa, a Brazilian textile company specialising in digital print B2B.

With a global print capacity of 25,000 metres per day, La Estampa is able to punch its weight in global digital textile markets.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU)-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA), on which negotiations concluded December 2, 2015, will open up “huge business opportunities” for Vietnamese garment companies, business experts agreed last month (September). They were speaking at an event jointly organised by EU business federation BusinessEurope, EuroCham [European Chamber of Commerce] Vietnam and the EU-Vietnam Business Network.…

IN a cutting-edge area of the textile sector such as digital manufacturing, planning and distribution, it is always helpful to know what the gold standard is for performance. But with technologies still developing and innovation taking hardware and software in directions that are untested – with implications that are as yet unknown – companies may not want to follow the crowd.…

A FEDERAL US government review has been ordered into the potential link between talc and ovarian cancer following “the continuing influx of adverse event reports”, as the minerals and cosmetics sector considers implications of a high-profile ruling over the issue. A jury in the Los Angeles Superior Court ordered personal care product manufacturers Johnson & Johnson to pay USD417 million to Eva Echeverria who claimed she developed the disease after using their talc-based products for feminine hygiene purposes.…

DESPITE relatively stagnant year-end results in 2016 for the paints and coatings market in Italy, last year proved unexpectedly dynamic in terms of sales and acquisitions, with several companies in the sector moving to increase their market share in specific subsectors of the market.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU)-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA), on which negotiations concluded December 2, 2015, will open up “huge business opportunities” for Vietnamese garment companies, business experts agreed earlier this month at an event jointly organised by EU business federation BusinessEurope, EuroCham [European Chamber of Commerce] Vietnam and the EU-Vietnam Business Network.…

JAPAN’S paint and coatings sector is putting on a positive face and playing up overseas expansion efforts, as well as its traditional strength in innovation, but analysts are concerned about the longer-term outlook for domestic companies.

Sales of paint in Japan came to Japanese Yen JPY 675 billion (USD6.10 billion) in 2016, a marginal increase of around 1% on the previous year’s figure, according to the Japan Paint Manufacturers Association.…

Customer willingness to pay a premium for the natural health qualities of honey appears to be outweighing price hikes for the natural sweetener amid falling production levels as beekeepers have battled catastrophic colony losses.

This has reduced worldwide bee numbers, prompting fears that confectioners might adapt production methods to replace honey with other naturally occurring sweeteners, such as stevia.…

SOUTH Africans are boosting their spending on cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures, with their national market expected to generate South African Rand ZAR94.15 million (USD7.1 million) in annual receipts by 2024. This reflects a 5.8% annual growth rate from the ZAR61 million (USD4.6 million) spent in 2016, according to US-based market research and consulting company Grand View Research, in figures released in July (2017).…

AS Ethiopia rapidly emerges as a key clothing and textile hub of Africa, the country has been making impressive strides as a knitwear manufacturing and sourcing centre, attracting the attention of global clothing majors.

“International buyers are beginning to buy knitted clothes from Ethiopia including Zara, Tesco, H&M [Hennes & Mauritz] and Decathlon,” said Fassil Tadesse, president of the Ethiopian Textile and Garment Manufacturing Association (ETGAMA).…

While moves in the knitwear sector are afoot to overtake ‘fast fashion’ with sustainable products and processes, the ultimate push to become certified organic is proving an unnecessary step too far for many producers.

There is widespread support in the industry to embrace sustainable business practices and boost eco-credentials for yarns and knitwear items.…

A smarter approach to asset integrity is proving to be the cost-effective answer to corrosion and erosion in ageing oil and gas assets. Indeed, the global oil and gas industry is maintaining a sharp focus on costs as operators grapple with ‘end or extend’ decisions over the commercial life of ageing assets in a lower-for-longer oil price environment.…

WORK is advancing on a major expansion of Santiago’s Pudahuel International Airport to cope with Chile’s rapidly-growing aviation market. But airlines feel they are bearing more than their share of the USD1 billion construction cost.

Officially known as Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, the facility has been Chile’s gateway to the world since it opened 50 years ago.…

In a major healthcare fraud clampdown, the USA’s Department of Justice (DoJ) has arrested and charged 412 people, including 115 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for defrauding America’s public funds of some USD1.3 billion. A July 13 DoJ statement said the US Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MSSF) swoop had “aggressively” targeted schemes falsely billing the Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE (armed forces) funds “for medically unnecessary prescription drugs and compounded medications that often were never even purchased and/or distributed to beneficiaries.”…

International politics and trade relations are set to influence the medium-term future of the US paint and coatings industry, analysts have predicted, highlighting a generally positive outlook with certain caveats.

USA PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR EXPECTED TO GROW, IF TRUMP DOES NOT TORPEDO TRADE POLICY

The state of the economy and its knock-on effect to the construction and manufacturing sectors (the World Bank is forecasting 2.2% GDP growth for the USA in 2017), is encouraging for paint and coatings producers.…

MONGOLIA remains one of the world’s key global production centres for cashmere, and its importance seems to be growing, with its cashmere garment exports increasing – total 2016 overseas receipts were USD9.6 million, up 196% since 2009.

Demand is driven by Mongolian goat fibres’ unique characteristics, most importantly of which its length of 38-45cm and thin microns facilitating the manufacturing of garments with higher quality than those made from Chinese and Afghan goat fibres. …

THE POLITICAL standoff between India and Pakistan may dominate the news headlines but India’s synthetic textiles, yarn and fibre are starting to find an increasing number of Pakistani buyers.

According to Kripabar Baruah, joint director, Synthetic and Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC), exports to Pakistan that had fallen in 2014-5, and 2015-6, have grown in the current financial year (2016-17).…

There is no sign that Taiwanese textile investors will rethink their commitment to Vietnam six months after US President Donald Trump pulled America out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that would have greatly boosted Vietnamese garment exports to the USA.…

Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris Climate Treaty will not halt moves to cut fossil fuels or reduce decarbonisation requirements on the non-energy minerals sector and other industries, say experts.

Trump called for a new “fair” deal that would not disadvantage US businesses and workers and claimed that China and India had “no meaningful obligations” placed on them by the agreement.…

The macro-economic slowdown experienced by Latin America in recent years has thrown the brakes on what had been impressive growth in the beauty and personal care sector since the turn of the century.

Much of the region is now looking for ways to stimulate the sector, tempering ambitions by aiming for more gradual growth rather than runaway success.…

EUROPE’S nonwovens producers again served up a solid performance in 2016 against the background of (uneven and) uncertain trading conditions for the industry.

As usual, the just-published returns from EDANA, the representative organisation for the USD30 billion nonwovens industry in Europe, show some important national variations.…

AIRPORTS are increasingly becoming aware of the potential for bringing therapy animals into their terminals, to soothe the stresses of harried and sometimes angry passengers. Therapy dogs are usually the species of choice (along with a therapy pig in America’s San Francisco International), but now a new animal has been added to the lists, with miniature therapy horses visiting Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport twice a month.…

ISRAEL’S booming natural and organic cosmetics sector has grown largely because of its focus on scoring international sales and manufacturers have in the past shown less interest in increasing the local market base. But this strategy has been changing significantly of late. …

AN increasing number of Japanese consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious in their purchases and adhering to what is commonly referred to as a ‘LOHAS’ (lifestyles of health and sustainability) way of life. In the Japan cosmetics and personal care market, this initially manifested itself in the rising popularity of imported brands that prided themselves on their use of organic and natural ingredients.…

Amidst growing interest in Vietnam from international textile, garment and electronics companies, the country’s logistics infrastructure has been undergoing a much-needed upgrade, but the trajectory has been bumpy, say experts.

The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index Country Scorecard has noted that Vietnam’s logistics situation improving until 2014 only to fall back in 2016.…

EU MINISTERS APPROVE DOUBLE TAXATION REDUCTION SYSTEM

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has agreed a directive insisting that member states establish an effective system for resolving EU double taxation disputes. The system requires dispute resolution mechanisms to be mandatory and binding, with clear time limits.…

THE MIDDLE East and Africa is certainly a promising regional market for nonwovens manufacturers, given the high level of economic growth in many countries and the rise of consumer-culture focused middle classes. But companies need to be sophisticated in their investment and sales tactics given the immense variety of economic and social fortunes experienced by countries in this most diverse region.…

Japan’s NH Foods Ltd is to buy Uruguayan major meat processing company Breeders & Packers Uruguay SA (BPU) to increase its meat supply capacity in emerging markets, notably in Asia, and to tap the major mature beef consumption markets in North America and Europe.…

Political uncertainty over US trade deals sparked by the ascension of President Donald Trump to power should be eased to avoid stifling innovation in the country’s technical textiles industry which could see it marginalised on the world stage, insiders have warned.…

THE DIFFICULTIES that have surged in the diplomatic relations between the Mexican government and the new US administration of President Donald Trump have increased uncertainty within the Mexican personal care product market and industry.

With Mexico facing US demands to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with the risk of the US imposing temporary safeguard duties on Mexican exports to protect American manufacturers, companies in Mexico are seeking to boost domestic consumption.…

A STAGGERING 62% of Asia-Pacific consumers (including China and India) buy natural and organic cosmetics and another promising 32% are keen to buy them – making the region a hotspot for manufacturers of such lines. But this impressive growth also has made the region a perfect breeding ground for greenwashing, experts warned.…

EU PROPOSES BOOSTING ANTICARTEL POWERS OF NATIONAL EUROPEAN COMPETITION AUTHORITIES

A DIRECTIVE has been proposed by the European Commission that would ensure that national competition authorities across the European Union (EU) have a minimum level of powers enabling them to enforce EU antitrust laws.…

Success and sustainability appear to be the buzzwords of a US nonwovens industry that is moving forward confidently, leading the north American sector, which it dominates in sales and production.

Having recovered from a slight downward turn in capacity following the recession, the US sector has returned to healthy growth and an improving economic outlook, coupled with ever-increasing applications for engineered fabric products.…

Europe’s nonwovens producers again served up a solid performance in 2016 against the background of (uneven and) uncertain trading conditions for the industry. As usual, the just-published returns from EDANA, the representative organisation for the USD30 billion nonwovens industry in Europe, show some important national variations.…

AS the international glass market continues to recover from the global recession, experts predict emerging markets might be tempted to invest in plant development to manufacture their own flat glass rather than paying expensive import fees buying from one of the handful of major suppliers.…

AMERICA may have scrapped its major sanctions against emerging outsourcing centre Myanmar, and brought back the southeast Asian country’s GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) access to USA markets, but the impact on the clothing trade has so far been underwhelming.

Apparel factory owners in Myanmar say American buyers have simply not materialised in the numbers that some expected.…

THE ROBUST growth of the Mexican automotive coatings market over the past six years looks is likely to end in 2017, according to the Mexican Association of Paint and Ink Producers (ANAFAPYT).

Mexican production of automotive coatings almost doubled from 2010 to 2015, going from 57.3 million liters to 106.2 million liters, say figures from ANAFAPYT (Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Pinturas y Tintas).…

A CONSORTIUM of investigative journalists has claimed to have identified a model showing how a Russia-based money laundering scheme moved at least USD20.8 billion out of the country, via Moldova and Latvia. Significant portions of this money was transferred to accounts held by western banks including Britain’s HSBC and Coutts, the Bank of America and other major financial institutions, said the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).…

AN INCREASE in numbers of people attending this year’s annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) international convention has signalled a return of confidence to the global mineral exploration and mining industry.

After three consecutive years of steadily declining attendance, PDAC organisers were pleased to announce that more than 24,000 people from over 120 countries took part in this year’s edition, which ran from March 5-8 in downtown Toronto.…

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) and Canada’s strong branded knitwear companies may benefit from additional mutual trade after the European Parliament’s approval and resulting signature of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the two jurisdictions.

This long-negotiated and highly contested deal, which could apply from April as far as its key duty and quota liberalisation elements are concerned, will remove nearly 99% of tariffs on all goods traded between the EU and Canada and eliminate tax discrimination.…

Ethiopia attracted foreign investments of USD1.2 billion in the first six months of the 2016/17 fiscal year, despite this increasingly important manufacturing base being under a state of emergency due to widespread anti-government protests. The figures come from the Ethiopian Investment Commission, which says that these financial injections investments were dominated by major Chinese companies, half of which are licensed in textile and garment manufacturing.…

The US administration of President Donald Trump’s proposed 2017-18 budget, released March 16, has prompted the US airport industry to express disappointment over its funding proposals.

“While President Trump has been a vocal proponent of improving our airport infrastructure and enhancing security across the country, today’s budget proposal misses the mark when addressing these key airport challenges,” said Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) CEO Kevin Burke.…

IMPROVING airport management is often a matter of examining good practice overseas and for airports wanting to improve the time taken to move transfer passengers from one flight to another, their executives might learn from Helsinki Airport.

Finland’s key international airport has the fastest passenger flow in Europe for transfer passengers going on to other European destinations, with a minimum connecting time between flights of just 35 minutes, according to Finavia, the state company that operates Finland’s 21 commercial civilian airports.…

THE cosmetics sector of South Korea, evaluated at USD12 billion in sales during 2016 by market researcher Frost & Sullivan, has been enduring a tough crash course in political risk since its government agreed to host the US missile-defence system Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD).…

THE USE of airless technology in packaging is largely about zero product waste, preserving product integrity and less packaging material – and it obviously gels well with the growing trend towards sustainability. That explains the uptake in this technology led by cosmetics packaging, industry experts argue.…

The chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API) has expressed cautious optimism about President Donald Trump’s rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact and re-confirmed the need to boost Indonesia’s competitiveness.

Trump pulled the USA out of the agreement on January 23, and while that could be bad news for the other 11 TPP partners, including regional textile sector competitors Malaysia and clothing hub Vietnam, the deal had yet to include Indonesia.…

Enhancing the percentage of oil recovered from existing assets is a no-brainer for countries that want to maximise economic gains from their oil reserves.

In an era of apparently ‘lower for longer’ oil prices, it is high up the agenda for oil companies and governments.…

KENYA has long been regarded as east Africa’s economic powerhouse, with residential and industrial construction boosting sales of paints and coatings – and for now there seems to be no halt in this progress. Indeed, the last World Bank assessment of growth in this 45 million people country was that GDP rose by 5.6% in 2015.…

THE BILLIONS of dollars that America’s financial institutions have to pour into resources and staff detecting and combating money laundering and terror financing are largely a waste of money, the USA’s top banking association has claimed.

The Clearing House, which represents banks including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America, has recommended law enforcement, such as experts within the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), be far more proactive instead.…

Argentina’s centre-right government has said that it is determined to remove money laundering and dirty money in the country, having assumed office in December 2015, but Argentina’s highly combative politics makes this a complex task. The new administration of President Mauricio Macri has accused its centre-left predecessor, led by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of failing to effectively fight money laundering in Argentina, indeed levelling charges that this former government was itself deeply corrupt.…

KEY MESSAGES

*The nuclear industry has an ageing staff and needs to recruit new professionals as they retire

*Its strong health and retirement benefits packages could help it attract the new staff it needs

*The nuclear industry outside north America has a strong expat component, making it easier for recruit staff from abroad

INTRODUCTION

The nuclear industry sector is facing some significant human resources challenges, but new research carried out by Airswift and Energy Jobline indicates that the nuclear sector can still compete for talent.…

AS Bangladesh aims to double its apparel exports in the next five years, industry executives and experts agree on one thing: value addition is the key and the development of digital printing services is a key strand of this strategy.
As a result, the launch of operations by Indian textile printing manufacturer and distributor DCC (Dhaval Colour Chem) in Dhaka last December was an important step towards creating such an integrated supply chain in Bangladesh.…

THE TRADE in confectionery products between the European Union (EU) and Canada is likely to increase now the European Parliament has approved the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

The vote – on February 15 (2017) – follows years of detailed negotiations and means that large sections of this trade deal can now come into force, maybe as early as April, as long as Canada stages its own vote in time.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) food exporters will in 2017 be offered an increased amount of money by the European Commission to better promote their products, especially in non-EU markets. The Commission has said that EUR133 million will be available this year to co-finance at 70%-85% such marketing campaigns, compared to EUR111 million in 2016.…

As US President Donald Trump on January 23 pulled America out from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with an executive order, he signalled he will instead ask Asian TPP members for bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). This includes countries such as Vietnam that rely on apparel and textile exports.…

Even as the official withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been greeted by enthusiasm by American automakers, the focus is shifting to the bilateral trade deals that President Donald Trump has promised will take its place.…

The gradual opening up of trade relations between Cuba and the United States has sparked a raft of bold predictions about how Cuban cigars are poised to sweep into the US premium cigar market. However, Cuban producers will have to navigate several serious obstacles if they are to lay claim to a significant market share, not the least the potential rolling back of détente by the Trump administration in Washington DC – at present a question being asked by many cigar traders.…

THE OLIVE oil industry has traditionally been dominated by some key major European players, notably Spain, Italy and Greece, but with global consumption rising, production is emerging in countries which have previously relied on imports.

International Oil Council statistics show how new production centres are being created.…

The Syria conflict is into its sixth year, as are the multilateral sanctions imposed on the government in Damascus. How effective have the sanctions been, given the Syrian regime’s survival? And where may have funds from members of the regime, and those linked to it, gone?…

As US President Donald Trump has been wasting no time carrying out his campaign pledges to undo long-standing American trade ties, the Asian apparel industry and the US retailers it supplies have ample reasons to be on edge.

Signs are particularly worrisome for apparel players sourcing from Vietnam, a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the unratified 12-nation deal that will now not include the USA after Trump extracted America from its commitments via a January 23 presidential memorandum.…

Volkswagen will plead guilty to three criminal charges in the USA, and pay a USD2.8 billion fine for selling around 590,000 diesel vehicles in America using a device to cheat emissions tests, while lying and obstructing justice to further the scheme.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) food exporters will in 2017 be offered an increased amount of money by the European Commission to better promote their products, especially in non-EU markets. The Commission has said that EUR133 million will be available this year to co-finance at 70%-85% such marketing campaigns, compared to EUR111 million in 2016.…

The January 23 presidential memorandum from President Donald Trump, puling the USA from participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal has disappointed the American cosmetics and personal care products sector. This is not only because of the tariff barriers it would have eliminated but also because the TPP would have pushed regulatory controls in all TPP countries in the same direction.…

SOUTH African men spent USD564.2 million on grooming products during 2016 this relatively new market segment benefits from a surge in skincare interest.

Data released by research group Euromonitor International revealed fragrances dominates the market, accounting for USD306.79 million followed by toiletries (USD191.45 million) and the shaving market (USD66.72 million).…

Textile and garment makers in Vietnam are overcoming the initial shock of US president-elect Donald Trump in late-October making clear he would issue an executive order to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) the day he takes office.

Vietnam, as one of the 12 TPP signatory countries, had been expected to gain greatly from the trade deal, as its garment exports would have earned 0% tariff treatment in the US market compared to a current average of 32%.…

A FIRST pilot test of automated vehicles is now underway within the Canadian province of Ontario, using a groundbreaking regulatory system designed to encourage tech and auto firms to undertake such research and development.

The pilot, which began November 28, takes advantage of a provincial law, in place since January 1 (2016), which allows companies to test self-driving vehicles on Ontario roads.…

Indonesian batik producers are turning to social media to boost sales, helping them maintain production when not only standard marketing and distribution channels are not delivering enough revenue but standalone websites and major e-commerce sites.

Rusydi Bawazir, producer of Nargis Batik Podhek, from Madura, East Java province, started online marketing three years ago by using website: nargis.web.id.…

HR managers in Taiwan are being forced to review their working hours and holiday strategy as young professionals seek more work-life balance than their older peers. East Asian employees are known for their extreme diligence, with those in Taiwan, for example, on average toiling away for 2,134 work hours a year, compared to the average for Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) member states of 1,771 hours.…

2016 – Winners and losers

RETAILERS & BRANDS

WINNERS

US-based sportswear brand Under Armour delivered its 26th consecutive quarter of 20%-plus revenue growth in the third quarter of 2016, with sales increases across all divisions. Net sales were up 22% in the third quarter to USD1.47bn.…

As the festive season approaches, airport industry representatives in the United States are seeing visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads in contemplation of funding prospects under the incoming presidential administration.

Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office January 20, has made the poor condition of US infrastructure a campaign talking point, at times characterising airports in the country as “third-world facilities”.…

PHOTOS posted on the Chinese microblog platform Weixin (commonly known in English as WeChat) from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali recently are emblematic of key trends in China’s cosmetics and personal care markets, notably booming ecommerce sales. Over 100 Chinese sales managers – technically self-employed and operating on commission – flew to Bali as guests of USANA Health Sciences Inc, which in 2010 acquired BabyCare Ltd, a China-based direct selling company that develops, manufactures and sells nutritional products.…

ONE of the wealthiest countries in the world, Qatar’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was estimated at USD73,653 in 2015, according to the World Bank. Close to 85% of the country’s 2.5 million population are expatriates and this has influenced the skincare products on offer, while high levels of disposable income continue to drive consumption.…

THE INTERNATIONAL Confederation of European Beet Growers (CIBE) and the European Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS-Comité Européen des Fabricants de Sucre) have jointly called on the European Union (EU) to continue protecting producers with import tariffs, even as the EU negotiates 12 trade deals affecting the food industry.…

THE PROMISE from US President-elect Donald Trump to withdraw the USA from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement on his first day of office has prompted widespread nervousness in auto-sectors around the world.

His rejection of the deal could scupper an agreement negotiated over five years by the United States; Australia; Brunei; Canada; Chile; Japan; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Peru; Singapore and Vietnam.…

United Arab Emirates

Population 9.1 million – 2015

GDP 2015 – USD370 billion (up 3.2% on previous year)

Projected 2016 GDP growth – 2%

Size of non-oil economy 2015 – 66% (IMF)

Proportion of local nationals in private sector – 1% (LSE estimates 2014)

Saudi Arabia

Population 31.5 million – 2015

GDP 2015 – USD646 billion (up 3.5% on previous year)

Projected 2016 GDP growth – 1.86%

Size of non-oil economy 2014 – 57% (IMF )

Proportion of local nationals in private sector 2016 – 16% (Oxford Strategic Consulting)

Qatar

Population 2.2 million – 2015

GDP 2015 – USD166 billion (up 2.9% on previous year)

Projected 2016 GDP growth – 3.3%

Size of non-oil economy 2015 – 49% (IMF)

Proportion of local nationals in private sector 2014 – 5% – (Qatar Statistics Authority)

Bahrain

Population 1.3 million – 2015

GDP 2015 – USD32 billion (up 2.9% on previous year)

Projected 2016 GDP growth – 2.2%

Size of non-oil economy 2015 – 76% (IMF)

Proportion of local nationals in private sector 2013 – 18% (Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority).…

Central Bank theft – casino repercussions: the Philippines

The theft in February of $101m from the Bangladesh Bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank New York in an audacious hack of SWIFT codes saw funds flow to casino accounts at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation in the Philippines.…

A senior Canada metal industry association has called on its government to continue ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), despite US President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to withdraw the US from the trade deal on his first day of office.

“We definitely still support Canada moving forward with the TPP, even without the US.…

Voters in Massachusetts are poised to decide on Tuesday [November 8] whether the US state should ban the sale of pork products or veal from animals that cannot turn around or stretch their limbs within their cages.

The provision would also ban the sale of pork and veal products produced by animals confined in stalls and cages which severely limit their movements.…

Vietnam’ clothing and textile industry has been assessing the impact of losing an anticipated huge garment export boost under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) now that US president-elect Donald Trump has promised to sign an executive order pulling out of the 12-nation trade deal.…

IRAN’S rose water export sector is facing the potential for rapid expansion now that the country can trade freely globally after the bulk of international banking and economic sanctions imposed over the Iranian nuclear programme were lifted this January (2016).…

UNITED States President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, condemning the deal as a “potential disaster for our country”, has received the thumbs-down from the cosmetics industry.

“TPP represents an important step forward for the cosmetics industry in the signatory countries, containing as it does a specific annex for cosmetics and personal care,” Cosmetics Europe director general John Chave told Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics.…

SLOW and cumbersome traditional financing does not fit the needs of dynamic, small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in today’s fast fashion-driven garment industry, the CEO of London-based finance company iwoca, Christoph Rieche told just-style.com. 

Rather, the trend is more towards simplified trade financing, he said.…

Non-wovens textile manufacturers are likely to benefit from a soaring Chinese market for their products, thanks to a fast ageing population, the government’s recently launched two-child policy, and demand created by air pollution that continues to plague the country, and international conference in Shanghai has head.…

Sun protective clothing is continuing to move from its health-focused niche origins to become a general and versatile product, protecting consumers of all ages from the harm of prolonged sun exposure. What first began as products for children or for people with varying skin ailments, such as melanoma or xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a rare disease where the body is unable to repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light, the market has been expanding robustly.…

BIG data means big money, especially for telecoms and internet companies. However, the fact that they are holding, collating, processing and monetising so much data makes heavy weather for IT-based anti-fraud systems. As a result, the siren song of cloud-based anti-fraud programmes is becoming increasingly attractive as companies look to scale up their protection to take account of growing datasets.…

THE INTERNATIONAL Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed a series of standards designed to promote sustainability in the chocolate and cocoa sector, and wants industry input.

It has released drafts on the ISO 34101 series, on ‘sustainable and traceable cocoa beans’, and wants expert opinions on them, for submission by December 4.…

THE SPANISH book sector has declared that it is optimistic about growth in sales at its annual LIBER International Book Fair, which wrapped up on Friday (Oct 14). A statement from the organisers said that there was a “positive feeling about the sector’s upswing”.…

Earlier this year Italian pasta giant Barilla presented its latest technological innovation: a next generation 3D printer that swaps ink for pasta dough and is able to make unique pasta shapes in just minutes.

Barilla is among the world’s first food producers to leverage the latest digital technologies and apply them to food production.…

An assembly line for French automotive company Peugeot (Groupe PSA) has opened in Ethiopia (July 1) in partnership with local firm, Mesfin Industrial Engineering (MIE). The new USD1.2 million facility is expected to assemble 1,200 vehicles-a-year for sale to Ethiopia’s growing car market and to neighboring countries Djibouti and Somalia.…

Japan’s automobile manufacturers are increasingly looking to set up plants in – or, at least, very close to – their target markets, and paint companies with expertise in the auto coatings sector are following their lead.

“In 2015, the overall Japanese paints and varnishes market recorded 0.3 per cent growth, with producers struggling to remain competitive because production in Japan is pricier due to environmental requirements and higher labour costs,” said Andrius Balsys, a research analyst who monitors the paints sector for London-based market researcher, Euromonitor International.…

Leading Russian clothing designers are developing plans to start significant volumes of domestically-produced exports to Western markets during the next several years, potentially boosting demand for upstream suppliers based in the country. Alexander Serafimov, one of Russia’s leading fashion designers, has said that particular attention will be paid on increasing exports to the European Union (EU) and the USA, because of the potential to generate larger profit margins than in Asia.…

BRAZIL’S exports of pigmeat are booming, with over January to July, volume sales overseas increasing 42.2% year-on-year compared to the same time period in 2016. The Brazilian Protein Association (Associação Brasileira de Proteína Animal) says that from January to July this year (2016), 413,300 tonnes have been exported, be it frozen or processed meat, including sausages.…

Growing competition across the world for clothing outsourcing contracts, with China not only being challenged in Asia, but by sub-Saharan African and even Russian suppliers, is pushing Asian governments to sharpen their industrial policy to retain market share, a major international conference has heard.…

Earlier this year Italian pasta giant Barilla presented its latest technological innovation: a next generation 3D printer that swaps ink for pasta dough and is able to make unique pasta shapes in just minutes.

Barilla is among the world’s first food producers to leverage the latest digital technologies and apply them to food production.…

BIG data in the world of commerce can have a mercenary aspect, telling companies detailed information about potential customers, to target them with offers to increase revenue.

But it is not the whole story.

In civil aviation, big data can also improve safety, efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, Marco Merens, chief, integrated aviation analysis, at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) air navigation bureau told Jane’s Airport Review.…

Sri Lanka’s cosmetic and beauty product manufacturers are becoming increasingly anxious over the lack of sales regulations, promoting significant volumes of lower grade cosmetic imports, putting local manufacturers at risk. 

Until July 2015, there was a specific authority to oversee cosmetic products being imported as well as distributed in the country.…

AS a decades-long prohibition on production and sale of the ‘cannabis sativa’ plant and its components are falling away throughout North America, the use of hemp as a personal care product ingredient is on the rise.

In the United States (US), four states have legalised recreational cannabis (Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska), along with the capital territory Washington DC, while 21 states have legalised medical marijuana, boosting growth in the legal consumption and production of the plant.…

THE PARIS conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last December, of COP21, made a commitment to create a carbon-neutral world between 2050 and 2100. This means that governments and international organisations must devise policies to ensure the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity equals the amount that that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally preventing the build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere.…

South America’s cosmetics and personal care sector is looking to bounce back from a slowdown caused by the region’s macroeconomic troubles, but political pressures and regional trade alliances are driving individual country markets down divergent paths.

Over the last year, countries across the region have been buffeted by economic turmoil that has had a knock-on impact on the cosmetics sector.…

The cosmetics surgery sector in South Korea, the industry’s undisputed bellwether in Asia, expanded strongly in 2015, with the number of total cosmetics surgery procedures growing by 17.9% year on year, to 1.2 million, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).…

ORGANIC wool can pose various challenges to producers and apparel and textile manufacturers, including added costs and more complicated logistics. But for niche markets, these products can attract customers willing to pay more for softer, chemical-free woollen goods.  

Dalena White, secretary general of the Brussels-based International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO), told Twist International: “Wool farmers have lovely stories to tell, including the heritage of their sheep, the natural pastures they graze on and the love they have for their animals and their native land.…

THE ASIA Pacific region remains the workshop of the world in terms of nonwovens production, and it is not only China’s producers who are growing, local suppliers are feeding growing domestic markets for nonwovens products elsewhere in east and southeast Asia.…

OVER the last decade, Colombia has taken significant strides towards establishing a robust anti-money laundering system to detect the billions of dollars of criminal profits that flood its financial system. But one result has been the migration of money laundering networks away from hiding the origins of bank deposits and cash to trade-based money laundering.…

Paint and varnish manufacturers in Japan experienced a disappointing 2015, with sluggish purchasing from the construction and automotive sectors translating into meagre 0.3% growth over the fiscal year. Analysts predict that growth will pick up in the short term, in part as a result of a spike in demand from the construction sector ahead of Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games – although industry players are concerned about the longer-term outlook for the sector.…

The emergence of Brazil as a major economic power and highly promising market of 200 million inhabitants is luring Mauritian textile producers to foray further in Latin America’s largest national market. Indeed, despite Brazil’s ongoing economic recession, Mauritian textile and clothing exports to the country have more than quadrupled since 2012, according to trade promotion body Enterprise Mauritius.…

VIETNAM’S textile sector faces significant challenges as it seeks to profit sustainably from new commercial opportunities offered by international trade deals, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a major industry conference has been told. The Vietnam Textile Summit 2016 was held from June 29-30, at The Reverie Saigon, an upscale hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).…

SHANGHAI-based microfibre and fabric accessories maker Pactics Group is set to open a new factory in Cambodia using innovative digital heat-transfer ‘sublimated’ printing – that allows brightly-coloured high quality prints on fabric.

The new factory, under the company’s ‘Raytecs’ division, will be located in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh-based produce women’s activewear, swimwear, apparel and other sublimated printed premium products: “We are a boutique manufacturer of sublimated activewear, apparel and premium sublimated products,” the group’s president and owner  Piet Holten told WTiN.…

Automobile manufacturers based in Britain face a risk that their exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties now the UK government has confirmed it will push ahead with leaving the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum result. These could be imposed after the two years of mandated talks on a future relationship with the EU following a UK decision to trigger Article 50 under the Treaty on European Union.…

China is keeping alive unproductive “zombie” steel plants then dumping the products on the European Union (EU) market, the Spanish author of two key reports adopted in the European Economic and Social Committee yesterday (July 14) told Steel First. “Not only the steel industry, but the whole European industry, will suffer if the market economy status is unconditionally granted to China,” said Andrés Barcelό Delgado, referring to the debate over anti-dumping calculations for Chinese exports that is ongoing in Brussels.…

MOBILE money transactions surged in 2015 across the world – increasing by 31% to reach 411 million mobile money accounts, and this is a critical platform for expanding financial inclusion globally, according to GSMA, a UK-based global mobile industry association, in its February 2016 annual report on the ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money’. …

THE UK’s vote on June 23 to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future electricity industry regulations in Britain, and the UK’s regulatory relationship regarding power supplies with countries remaining in the EU.

Victory by the ‘Leave’ side in Britain’s in-out referendum enables the UK government to kick off an exit process by invoking Article 50 in the Treaty on European Union, which gives notice that member state wishes to leave.…

A DRAMATIC year for Pyrenees micro-state of Andorra has highlighted a debate over whether the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has excessive power over financial institutions outside America.

The American financial intelligence unit (FIU) issued a Notice of Finding (NOF) in March 2015, saying Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA), one of only five banks in the principality, was a financial institution of “primary money laundering concern.”…

The United States has launched World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes proceedings against China, alleging that it breaches global trading rules by imposing export duties on certain non-ferrous metals sold to America. The US claims these range between 5% and 20%, and are levied on exports of antimony, cobalt, copper, lead, magnesia, tantalum and tin.…

South-east Asia is a region that has sharp contrasts in economic development, from between the wealth of Singapore to countries such as Myanmar, where poverty is endemic and consumer markets are relatively undeveloped.

Such contrasts pose challenges for personal care product companies seeking regional strategies to tap the markets of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) 10 countries, whose cosmetics suppliers have to comply with the standards of the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive, which was modelled on European Union legislation.…

The US deodorant and antiperspirant market is in good shape, experiencing and projecting steady growth year after year in a largely saturated market where innovation is key to driving sales. Euromonitor International, the London-based market research firm, released a report in April 2016, which says the US deodorants market tends to grow “solidly” but “rarely dramatically”. …

A decline in exports has ended the boom years for the Colombian cosmetics sector, but the country still holds high hopes of establishing itself as a major regional player.

Colombia’s cosmetics and personal care sector has been thriving for well over a decade, as economic growth has fuelled a strong domestic market and the country established itself as an export hub for the north of South America.…

COSMETICS and personal care product labelling and decoration continues to play a key role in differentiating brands on the shelf and creating an experience for the consumer. While many companies are moving towards more simple, clean looks, other higher-end brands still prefer eye-catching, metallic designs.…

THE UK’s vote yesterday (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future food and drink regulations in Britain. The same applies to market access for companies operating from Britain or seeking to export to its consumers.…

The global meditech textiles market is expected to witness the highest growth – 4.6% from 2015 to 2022 – within the general technical textiles industry, according to an October 2015 report from US-based market research firm Grand View Research (GVR).

With the overall global technical textiles market valued at USD148.5 billion in 2014, and growing at a rate of more than 4% annually, this meditech segment is expected to be worth USD16.4 billion in 2016 and USD19.2 billion in revenues by 2020, according to India-based Future Market Insights (FMI), another market research company.…

A consortium headed by France’s Vinci Airports and Orix Corp, a financial services company based in Tokyo, took over the operation of Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport on April 1. The Japanese government is hoping that the deal will be the first of a series of privatisations of the nation’s often under-utilised airports.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s trade directorate general and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office have said that they will be assessing the impact of Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union (EU) on the planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP).…

HIGH tech sales specialists are advising Brazil’s textile sector to keep refining their ecommerce strategy to boost their competitiveness in a tough market.

Paulo Renato Macedo, innovation director at Tropos Lab, a consulting company for entrepreneurs based in Belo Horizonte, north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said while “creativity, quality and brand keep being important,” adopting new electronic marketing was essential for the textile and clothing sector in Brazil.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s trade directorate general and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office have said that they will be assessing the impact of Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union (EU) on the planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP).…

THE UK’s vote last week (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future meat and livestock regulations in Britain. The same applies to EU market access for British meat and livestock companies or exporters from the rest of the EU wanting to target British consumers.…

THE UK’s vote last Thursday (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future nuclear industry regulations in Britain. The same applies to EU market access for British nuclear fuel and component companies or exporters from the rest of the EU wanting to target British nuclear operators.…

THE EUROPEAN nonwovens industry has been pushing ahead, maintaining consistent growth above increases in GDP for the whole economy, increasing its international collaboration, and the successfully exploring new markets. And while it is rarely prudent to make anything more than short-term predictions about cost and tariff problems, such difficulties faced by the European nonwovens sector seem have been pushed into the background. …

Peru has taken major steps in establishing a robust anti-money laundering (AML) system, but with thriving and evolving criminal black markets, deep-rooted corruption and a large informal business sector, serious challenges remain. According to a US State Department’s 2015 anti-narcotics control strategy report, criminal funds make up around 3.5% of the country’s GDP – which would amount to USD7 billion.…

SHOULD the United Kingdom (UK) elect to exit the European Union (EU) in the referendum on June 23rd [CHECKED], the tax impact on Ireland would be considerable, claimed managing director at Hughes Blake, a leading chartered accountants firm in Dublin.…

In 2015, North America’s manufacturing capacity for nonwovens (regarding the United States, Canada and Mexico) grew from 2014 by 2.4% to reach about 2.77 million tonnes, according to a spokesperson for the US-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA). The United States dominates supplies in the region, making up 91% of capacity.…

Spanish distributors and publishers have been busy meeting with Argentine buyers at the 42nd Buenos Aires International Book Fair, as Argentina’s new centre-right government lifting of import restrictions and a looming economic recovery improves the potential for sales. “Argentina is the new hotspot in Latin America,” Fernando López Daza, manager of Época Distribuciones, a Madrid-based distributor, said at the fair, which is being held from April 21 to May 9.…

Argentina’s automotive industry is poised for a rebound in 2017 after production slumped by 38% over the past four years, say experts encouraged by the performance of the country’s new government.

“We see Argentina’s car market turning the corner now,” said Neil King, the London-based head of automotive research at Euromonitor International, a research firm.…

The recent start of commercial operations at concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in Africa illustrates the potential for utility-scale CSP to capture an increasing share in the world’s power generation mix.

These plants include the 160 megawatt (MW) Noor 1 in southern Morocco, the foundation of what may become the world’s largest CSP generation site, and the 50MW Khi Solar One in South Africa.…

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström refused to confirm earlier reports suggesting Commission negotiators had agreed to remove beef from negotiations for Mercosur, the trading bloc that includes Brazil and Argentina.

In response to questions from members of parliament, Commissioner Malmström said, “I will not confirm what is in and what is not in the offer because we are still finalising it.…

NORTH America’s textile sector – of which technical textiles comprise nearly 70% production by value in the USA and just below 50% in Canada – has grown slowly when compared with global production. And growth within the industry in North America will further slow by 2020 due to competition from the Asia-Pacific region and Western Europe, according to industry analysts at Euromonitor. …

In less than a year, Brazil had three different civil aviation ministers, and Brazil’s ambitious airport development plans have been harmed. One of the trio – Mauro Lopes – is a member of the Chamber of Deputies that voted for the motion to impeach President Dilma Rousseff over allegations she warped government accounts.…

The worldwide market for smart fabrics is projected to be USD2.2 billion in 2016 and is growing at an 18% clip annually, according to topline numbers presented by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), at the Smart Fabrics Summit held in Washington DC on April 11.…

Changes to labelling and advertising laws for halal food in Canada have come into force to better inform consumers and encourage halal meat producers to follow established certification systems. As of Tuesday, April 4, all halal claims – by both domestic and international suppliers – on food labels, packaging and advertising materials sold in Canada must be accompanied by the name of the organisation or person certifying it as halal.…

How to remain competitive in the face of falling meat consumption is the main challenge facing the meat and livestock industry today, Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of European Union (EU) farmers’ organisation Copa-Cogeca, has told GlobalMeatNews.

In an exclusive interview held as the EU body launched its #livestockcounts #enjoyagrifood campaign, promoting quality European meat consumption, Pesonen said: “We must ensure the added value of eating high quality meat as part of a balanced diet is communicated effectively to the consumer.”…

MEXICO and central America are often regarding as manufacturing centres for the USA, the world’s largest personal care product country. And while it remains true that brands take advantage of lower costs in these countries to make competitive exports, Mexico (population 122 million) and the seven countries of central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama – population 45 million) are significant markets in their own right.…

Airless packaging producers around the world are increasingly giving brands a cutting edge in market competitiveness – the technology is spreading in North America, Asia and Europe, although it is struggling to find footholds in Latin America.

In the most mature airless packaging markets within north America and Europe, companies have introduced innovations combining airless technology’s protection of product with extra features that allow, for example, more precise application and help brands with customisation.…

With the desire for packaging beauty being an integral part of north-east Asian consumer culture, it is perhaps no surprise that Japanese and South Korean cosmetics companies have led the way with compacts – whose popularity is spreading worldwide.

The ultimate combination of utility and design, when Japanese cosmetics companies start developing a new compact product, its packaging needs to meet two basic requirements: it has to delight the user with the way it looks, and it must be easy and convenient to use.…

China’s leaders are fond of aphorisms and extended metaphors, the pithier the better. Witness Mao Zedong’s ‘Hundred Flowers’ movement in 1956, which encouraged citizens to express their criticism of the communist party, and Deng Xiaoping’s much-quoted ‘To Get Rich is Glorious’.…

With fast fashion demands growing and China’s costs rising, sourcing closer to home is certainly becoming a more commonly considered option for brands, speeding up clothing and textile supply chains, being particularly beneficial for smaller producers, according to experts. Companies sourcing locally can have faster turnaround times, potentially better relationships with suppliers, and greater quality control.…

The Netherlands meat sector is delighted that its beef and veal industry has won US government approval to export to America, after being blocked since 1998, when Washington imposed a ban on all European Union (EU) beef and veal exports because of BSE.…

THE ONGOING legalisation of marijuana in the United States and Canada offers the tobacco industry some significant opportunities. This includes both increased consumption and also investment in tobacco sector suppliers such as vaporiser manufacturers.

As of this March, the US states of Colombia, Washington and Alaska had also legalised recreational use of marijuana and Oregon is well on its way to full legalisation.…

Leading Russian oil and gas producers, along with the national government, are considering investing up to Russian Roubles RUB100 billion (USD1.4 billion) into developing drilling and related upstream technologies during the next several years, amidst an shortage in technology supplies.

Prior to the sanctions war between Russia and Western countries sparked by the Ukraine crisis, the majority of drilling technologies were imported into Russia.…

Africa’s largest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, is to have a EUR110 million world-class cargo terminal built to boost its freight handling capacity by fourfold – a move that will confirm Ethiopia’s position as Africa’s main trans-shipment destination.

The new cargo hub, which is being designed by German engineering firm Unitechnik Group, will be the size of five football grounds and be able to shift 600,000 tonnes of freight a year at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.…

Boxes are not known for their excitement, but personal care product companies are making secondary packaging more alluring by designing them to give consumers an enticing glimpse of the goods inside. They are also using their collective imaginations to create aesthetically desirable mixes of different materials and textures, maybe combining these with visually arresting spatial design.…

Australian and New Zealand confectionery and ice cream manufacturers have been broadly supportive of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that was finalised towards the end of 2015, recognising the potential for securing export sales in lucrative Asian markets. That said, there is some caution, given the TPP delivers more potential for America’s juggernaut of a confectionery sector to roll into local stores.…

The Chilean chocolate market grow by almost 11% annually over the last four years to hit 2.4 kilogrammes annually per head during 2014, with Chile’s consumption overtaking Argentina for the first time, according to data from market analysts Nielsen. But while overall consumption is growing, Chileans are also becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tastes, which has given rise to a growing market for gourmet chocolates, both locally produced and imported.…

Considering the ongoing doldrums within the global economy, 2015 was not a bad year for South Korea’s coatings manufacturers. The sector’s cautiously positive sentiment mainly survived because Korean coatings consumption has been boosted by a domestic construction boom that made up for lacklustre demand from the east Asian export powerhouse’s carmakers and shipbuilders.…

Bangladesh’s imports of scrap metal has risen sharply as local steel millers turn to billet production, bolstering supplies encouraged by growing demand for finished products, Steel First has learnt.

Industry insiders said the south Asian nation imported around 1.5 million tonnes of steel and iron scrap in 2015 and estimates suggest that annual imports could surge to around 2.5 million tonnes by the end of this year.…

A CASE brought by American lawyers against the HSBC, alleging they were responsible for attacks of victims of Mexican drug cartels might broaden the definition of ‘terrorist’ under US law to include drug traffickers.

St Louis-based Elias Gutzler Spicer LLC has brought suit at the US District Court, Southern District of Texas (Brownsville).…

While January 6 (2016) was a big day for Chile’s fight against money laundering, with a major money laundering case drawing to close, there is concern that the country’s anti-money laundering (AML) efforts are actually weakening.

After eight years of investigation, Santiago’s 34th Criminal Court handed down the first sentence against eight individuals in the country’s largest ever money-laundering cases.…

Egyptian clothing companies that were restricted from using air cargo for exports to North America are getting around the ban. In December, 2015, national carrier EgyptAir suspended cargo shipments on passenger planes as a precautionary measure following the downing of a Russian aircraft in October at Sharm el-Sheikh.…

The European Union’s (EU) Energy Roadmap 2050 project is certainly ambitious – looking to decarbonise Europe’s energy sector – and it anticipates that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will play an important role. Yet, it is clear that this technology is far from ubiquitous and significant efforts will be required to enable CCS to play a key part in Europe’s CCS future.…

Five years since the start of the Arab uprisings in 2011, instability is still impacting cosmetics sales in the Levant and north Africa. Last year saw a slight improvement on overall sales in 2014, the year the Islamic State spread through northern Iraq and Syria, but figures are down on 2013, and the growth projected in 2010, according to figures from market researcher Euromonitor International and estimates from cosmetics companies.…

PRIVATE label brands for cosmetics and personal care products are attracting consumers with an increasingly wide range of offerings that stress their value-added nature, as well as affordable prices. Reflecting private labels’ innate reliance on quality and function rather than image, manufacturers supplying these products have been especially focusing on using scents to add value, from traditional florals to more adventurous notes.…

The beauty and personal care (BPC) market in Italy ended 2015 on a positive note, recording marginal growth in market sales, production and exports, according to a December 2015 report ‘Trends and Investments in the Cosmetics Sector’, released by the national cosmetics trade association, Associazione Italiana delle Imprese Cosmetiche (Cosmetica Italia).…

TUBES, bottles, and jars for packaging cosmetics and personal care products are not only becoming increasingly user-friendly and sustainable, suppliers and brands are looking for extra added-value features to promote sales. These range from useful applicators and storage devices to precision dosing, attracting consumers looking for convenient packaging.…

Playing the blame game with worldwide known fashion brands has become a key strategy at Brazil’s labour and employment ministry, stopping the country’s textile and clothing sector from exploiting vulnerable workers, government inspectors have told WTiN.

They say that the high impact and publicity raids on manufacturing plants over the last five years are finally leading to businesses becoming more responsible over the hiring of workers to toil in poor conditions for little pay.…

A new laboratory will help a joint research partnership between the United States and the European Union (EU) aiming to harmonize technology and standards supporting electrified transport on both sides of the Atlantic by the time plug-in vehicles enter the mainstream.…

Brazil’ biggest money laundering and corruption scandal kicked off at a petrol station that sits only two kilometres away from the National Congress of Brazil. And it still has a lot of fuel to burn.

When the Federal Police of Brazil raided a currency exchange booth at this fuel retailer on March 17, 2014, it began dismantling a political party financing and personal enrichment scheme that defrauded state-run oil giant Petróleo Brasileiro SA – more commonly known as just Petrobras – by at least USD2 billion in current figures.…

Innovative protective coatings have always been marked on their ability to deliver a function with excellence. However, there is real marketing gold where companies can demonstrate that coatings deliver a range of protective functions at the same time, such as waterproofing, insulating, and protecting aesthetics.…

IT has been a tough year for China’s growing economy, which has experienced some unexpected faltering in 2015, but facial care product sales have continued to surge ahead.

Retailers of these products have posted strong and sustained growth rates, increasing by 8% in the whole of 2014 to Chinese Yuan Renminbi – CNY142 billion (USD22.1 billion) and are estimated to have grown by another 10.2% in 2015, to CNY (also known as RMB) 156.4 billion, according to market researcher Euromonitor International.…

THE OIL and gas industry is preparing itself for regulatory challenges following the agreement on limiting climate change struck in Paris on December 12. In comments following the deal, industry organisations stressed the key role the oil and gas industry will continue to play as a key energy and product ingredient source, even as the world moves towards a lower carbon economy.…

The rise of hipsters and the appeal of the bearded lumberjack look, dubbed ‘lumbersexual’, in recent years has led to a rapid growth in beard and moustache care products sector worldwide. Specialty products such as beard oil and conditioners, as well as tools such as beard brushes, have become necessities for many men with facial hair.…

Much remains to be decided between Argentine and Chinese nuclear bosses over the fuel element to the USD12.8 billion proposed construction of two reactors by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). 
Argentina contracted the CNNC in February after a tender to help build the 800 megawatt electrical (MWe) Atucha 3 pressurized heavy water reactor, with construction work scheduled to start in 2016, although with discussions continuing on the plan, this might slip to 2017.…

Vegetable oil companies are rightfully concerned about the reputation of key feedstocks such as soy for good environmental and social sustainability. Bad news stories about poor pay, pollution and virgin land clearances can knock consumer demand for products and that is bad for business.…

A USD13 billion deal agreed by China to build two reactors for Argentina hinges entirely on the Chinese side putting up the financing, with a final arrangement on the cash deal to be inked in 2017. That’s according to sources in the Chinese nuclear industry.…

Although the final details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement have yet to be agreed, it is all but certain that the TPP’s free-tariff treatment for Vietnamese garments will see substantial amounts of yarn being shipped from US textile mills to garment factories in Vietnam, with the resulting clothing returning to the USA as finished ‘Made in Vietnam’ products.…

American pharmaceutical industry officials and trade groups remain cautiously optimistic that intellectual property (IP) negotiations with India can be resolved to the benefit of both nations’ medicine sectors. For now, however, India remains on a so-called ‘priority watch list’ of nations the US is urging to address key IP protection concerns.…

Myanmar has set a target for garment export earnings at USD2 billion for the 2015-16 fiscal year. “Myanmar’s export volume last year was USD1.46 billion – however we are yet to receive data from Germany and Latin America. Our expectation is that when we do, it will stand at USD1.5 billion,” said U Myint Soe, chairman of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA).…

Dairy producers in Mexico have turned to product diversification boost sales and avoid more profit losses caused by an increase in costs, weak purchasing power within lower income consumer groups and competition from non-dairy alternatives.
Beatriz de Llano, an analyst for market researchers Euromonitor International, said average unit prices in the sector rising by 7% annually in 2014, because of a rise in farm gate prices caused by cattle feed cost inflation – from MXN5.90 (USD0.38) per litre in 2013 to MXN6.50 (USD0.41) per litre in 2014.…

World football’s governing body FIFA – Fédération Internationale de Football Association – has claimed it is the victim following the arrests of 14 officials in Zurich on May 27, before its latest annual congress. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), which made the arrests for its US counterpart, also announced it had opened its own separate case.…

A WIDE range of flavouring innovations continue to emerge in the global confectionery and sweet bakery industry as brands look to differentiate themselves with new formulations, unusual concepts, and novel natural products. Speaking to Confectionery Production, Lindsey Bagley, a UK-based technical consultant to the global food industry, observed that extensive research is taking place in the flavouring industry.…

Publishers were upbeat at the 41st Buenos Aires International Book Fair highlighting strong sales in the Argentine market of adventure, fantasy and self-help books. They told the Bookseller that they planned to focus on these genres as they sign new talent.…

Best-selling Australian author and accounting historian Jane Gleeson-White sees accountants as potential revolutionaries with the power to save the planet. Now, there’s a thought.
They need to be creative, however. And while such tactics are generally associated with the mafia and corporate crooks, laundering the proceeds of drug cartels or squirrelling profits away from the view of the taxman, Gleeson-White, 54, challenges this perception.…

The UK may still be a world-beating performer for developing offshore wind energy, but more still can be done onshore, as demonstrated by China’s wind-power growth, the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC’s) secretary general Steve Sawyer has argued. Indeed, unveiling GWEC’s, Global Wind Report: Annual Market Update 2014, in a webinar April 1 from Istanbul, Sawyer noted that the UK at 813 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity produces more offshore wind energy than the rest of the world combined, with Denmark “a distant second”.…

THE ONWARD march of nonwovens production in Europe appears to be relentless, but the drivers behind it have changed in recent years. Early markets for disposable products have matured and levelled off in many countries and newer applications have taken up the slack.…

Despite Paraguay’s past difficulties in effectively fighting money laundering, the country has been introducing new regulations to boost its controls; however their reforms’ implementation have been hampered by lack of political will.
Located between Argentina and Brazil, Paraguay is a key country in the struggle against money laundering and financing of terrorism in South America because its porous border is used by drug cartels to smuggle drugs, among other illicit items, into the two region’s biggest markets for cocaine and marijuana.…

THE POLISH, Scottish, Austrian and Belgian meat sectors are significant winners in the latest announcement of European Union (EU) marketing financing designed to help food companies seize more sales within and outside the EU.
They will benefit from multi-million Euro sales and marketing programmes, 50% funded by the EU, announced yesterday (Tues April 21).…

Denmark’s ministry for food, agriculture and fisheries (MFAF/ministeriet for fødevarer, landbrug og fiskeri) is investigating whether meat (and dairy) products sourced from the offspring of cloned farm animals have found its way onto supermarket shelves in the country. With the products in contention imported mainly from North America, the investigation could lead to stricter product labelling laws in Denmark.…

A China-based cotton expert has predicted that Chinese clothing and textile producers will be forced to import more cotton now the government of Xinjiang province has decided to reduce its total cotton farming area in 2015. A communiqué from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Agricultural Bureau said it wanted to reduce north-west China region’s total cotton farming area to 300 hectares, down 17.5% on 2014.…

IT is early days when it comes to measuring reshoring in the clothing and textile sector, the return of production to mature markets from the Asian outsourcers who have dominated supply for the past decade. But industry experts and players are sure that it is happening.…

The trend towards the dual sourcing of garments has accelerated since the middle of the last decade. The sourcing pattern involves initial volumes being sought in the east, with lead times of up to three months, and replenishment from locations closer to the consumer, within weeks or even days.…

THE NORTH American technical textiles industry has always been at the cutting edge of the global sector and today, companies are creating innovative products that offer high performance for less cost, integrating electronic capabilities, and offering greater durability.
For instance, New York-based V Technical Textiles Inc is delivering to its customers a new line of technical textiles called VTT Etchtex, announced last year.…

The Chinese scientist developing genetic technology to protect cattle against bovine tuberculosis (TB) has told globalmeatnews.com of the steps now under way to bring this innovation to market. The team around Professor Zhang Yong of the Northwest A&F University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in Shaanxi province, central China, had made international headlines in early February by presenting a herd of genetically-engineered TB-resistant Holstein-Friesian cattle.…

China’s approval of meat imports from eight Mexican production plants has been welcomed by the Mexican and Chinese meat sectors. According to reports from China’s ministry of commerce, six exporters given the green light produce pork meat: Sonora Agropecuaria, Frigorifico Agropecuaria Sonorense (slaughter facility), Frigorifico Agropecuaria Sonorense (packhouse), Frigorifico Kowi, Alimentos Grole, and Grupo Porcicola Mexicano.…

AMERICA’S chances of promoting pigmeat exports by striking trade agreements under discussion such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are slim, if President Barack Obama is not given authority to present deals to Congress for simple yes or no votes.…

The United States and New Zealand have joined forces in asking the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to create a disputes settlement body ruling on whether Indonesian import restrictions on livestock, meat and other food products breaks global commerce rules.
Washington and Wellington have been formally consulting with Indonesia about their concerns since last May (2014).…

A recent breakthrough in negotiations means there is a likely end of troubles experienced by many non-ferrous metal importers and exporters and their supply chains during the ongoing USA west coast ports labour dispute. But what happens now? Just how badly has the industry been affected and how swiftly can it recover should normal port service be resumed?…

Increased demand for fire-retardant paints and coatings, and tighter regulations around the use of certain flame-retardant chemicals, is leading to a growing range of innovations in this sector. A wide range of such developments is emerging in the USA in particular, although European research is also ongoing.…

THE LATIN American paint and coatings sector has been facing tough times in the past year, with sluggish overall economic performance depressing demand for the industry. Even, last summer’s World Cup football fiesta in Brazil, did not give the region’s largest market any motive to celebrate.…

The European Union’s (EU) executive, the European Commission has used its competition law powers to open up a multi-billion dollar race for the huge global market for intelligent chassis systems and advanced collision-avoidance technology. Its regulatory starter pistol has been the terms it has imposed on German firm ZF, of Friedrichshafen, for its planned acquisition of TRW, based in Detroit.…

Volkswagen Brazil’s new EUR200 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) may not be enough to help the German automaker recover its long-standing position in Latin America’s largest market, a senior auto expert has warned. VW’s Brazil market share dropped from 22% in 2004 to 17% last year, which puts them behind leaders Fiat and in a struggle with Chevrolet to keep the second position in South America’s key market, according to Brazil’s automotive industry association – Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veículos Automotores (ANFAVEA).…

THE RISK of being kidnapped is a significant concern for those travelling for business to unstable and dangerous regions of the world. Yet, travellers can reduce these risks by following preventative measures and making smart plans, say business security experts. Elizabeth Machuca reports from Mexico City.…

SOUTH America’s personal care product sector has been is facing tougher times than usual – with some countries experiencing weaker sales last year and others faltering this year.
The region’s largest market Brazil is facing a rocky 2015, with a general slowdown in Brazil’s economy, expected to shrink by 1% in 2015.…

COSMETICS and personal care product packagers are creating innovative designs to attract consumers, using labelling and decoration that appeals to multiple senses. Packagers have also faced challenges related to selling products online, developing new strategies to convey the same appeal and information to consumers from a web page as on the shelf.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has released proposals on how it wants to build more common systems and promote mutual recognition in personal care product assessments and testing methods through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), currently being negotiated between the two sides.…

MEXICO represents a powerful investment opportunity as the second largest consumer of ‘beauty and personal care products’ (BCP) in Latin America, after Brazil. While a relatively mature BCP market makes growth a creative challenge, the country is increasingly popular as a location for BCP production facilities.…

In the Gulf, the harsh desert climate has always made agricultural production difficult, so fats in the form of animal lard or milk ‘ghee’, have traditionally dominated diets.
But population growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – UAE), rising affluence, booming ex-patriot populations, and increasing diversity in imports, have driven increases in sales of higher end edible oils in the region.…

The emergence of synthetic fuels continues to raise hopes that low-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels will be developed, offering the prospect of long-term sustainable production. And with synthetic liquid fuel and synthetic gas chemical composition reflecting fossil fuels’ conversion of hydrogen and atmospheric CO2 into methane, experts are openly enthused about their avoidance of intermittency associated with renewable energy.…

THERE is growing international demand for Cambodia’s traditional ‘krama’ scarves from Europe – especially from Germany and Italy.  And the bulk of the country’s nearly 50,000-60,000 annual ‘krama’ exports go to these two countries, the Cambodian Craft Corporation executive director Seung Kimyonn told WTiN.com.…

The possibility of a global paediatric research network has taken firmer shape in recent months with European Union (EU) industry representatives and medical regulators expressing support for a tie-up with their US colleagues and those from other countries. The issue is being taken up by a working group set up by the European Network of Paediatric Research (Enpr-EMA) in the European Medicines Agency (EMA).…

THE RE-EXAMINATION of European Union (EU) market authorisations following concerns over clinical trials conducted by GVK Biosciences in Hyderabad, India, has sparked intense debate in Brussels.

A European Parliament hearing has heard comment and details about the recommendation from the European Medicine Agency’s committee for medicinal products for human use (CHMP) that some 800 forms and dosages of medicines approved in the EU be suspended.…

IN the highly competitive cosmetics and personal care market, producers of secondary packaging are creating ever more advanced, innovative shapes and decorations to attract consumers. Whether it conveys a message of sustainability, luxury, or simplicity – secondary packaging continues to play a crucial role, often communicating multiple ideas and emotions to consumers in an instant.…

Climbing the career ladder in finance and accounting takes a willingness to take on new, difficult challenges, acquiring varied experience and clear long-term goals. No one knows this better than Grzegorz Mączyński, an ACCA fellow and the financial director and member of the board of Alstom Konstal, Alstom Transport’s branch in Poland.…

The recent moves towards loosening trade and diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba has provided a source of cautious optimism within the American auto industry.
President Barack Obama has been loosening the 54-year trade restrictions after announcing a policy u-turn on December 17 last year, but only Congress, controlled by Republicans, can actually lift the economic embargo entirely.…

WHILE the global nonwovens industry maybe booming through investments, acquisition of new sites, expansion of capacity, more customers and exhibitions all over, the same optimism cannot be applied to emerging market former starlet Brazil. Despite its huge market with 200 million inhabitants, the nonwovens sector of South America’s economic powerhouse is looking for another deep loss of steam in 2015.…

Chile has exported more than 7,000 heifers to China in its first major export of live cattle, which has just arrived at its destination, and the government hopes this might be the start of developing a long term beef livestock export trade.…

A levy on air in the Venezuela’s largest airport, Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport – on both domestic and foreign flights – caused such an uproar in the South American nation last year, it has since been repealed. According to the Venezuelan Airline Association (ALAV – Asociacion de lineas aereas de Venezuela), the ‘air-tax’ was doomed by the constant complaints and delays it caused.…

JAPAN’S textile sector, including technical textiles, has long enjoyed a reputation for producing innovative and high-quality products that meet – and surpass – consumers’ needs. Over the years, companies from across the industry, ranging from low-tech spinning operations to the manufacturers of cutting-edge technical textiles, have invested heavily in their research and development divisions and their personnel to stay ahead of the competition.…

Bribing public officials is part of the regular cut-and-thrust of doing business in some parts of the world. Russia stands out, of course. Similarly some 28% of respondents in Singapore thought it was acceptable for companies to “misstate” their financial performance if it helped them, says EY in its 13th Global Fraud Survey.…

THE EUROPEAN Parliament has voted to allow individual European Union (EU) member states to reject the cultivation of genetically modified food on their territories, independent of what the situation is at EU level. This law, negotiated with the EU Council of Ministers, leaves room to national governments to ban the GMOs from being produced in their countries for other reasons than environmental or health risks.…

THE FACIAL skin care market in Chile has enjoyed double digit growth for over a decade, and is expected to continue expanding. Although this market is expected to grow at a slower rate this year, market research firm Canadean Ltd has forecast an average annual growth rate of 11% between 2013 and 2018.…

INDIA’S Godrej Consumer Products Ltd has acquired another hair care business in Africa, buying a 100% equity stake in South African hair extensions specialist Frika Hair (Pty) Ltd.

According to a Godrej communiqué, Frika has a strong wholesale distribution capacity for it hair extension products that include braids, synthetic weaves, human hair weaves, wigs and hair-pieces.…

Turkey’s rapidly growing nonwovens industry is a rising star that everyone should be paying attention to. This was the general consensus at the second Turkish Nonwovens Symposium in Istanbul on November 10-11, held by EDANA, the leading global association of nonwovens and related industries.…

IN another sign that the economic and social divisions wrought by Europe’s 1945-1989 ideological division continue to ease, Czech accountant Petr Kříž will serve as president of the Federation of European Accountants (FEE) for the next two years. It is the first time in the history of this professional organisation that its president comes from a former eastern bloc country.…

BEEF producers in Uruguay are emerging as the most progressive and successful in Latin America with a universal system for electronically tracking cattle and a continued surge in exports.

The country’s accumulated exports of beef products for 2014 (up to December 6) reached 229,907 tonnes – an increase of 5,750 tonnes compared to the same period in 2013, according to the National Meat Institute (Instituto Nacional de Carnes – INAC), which monitors and promotes the meat industry.…

MEXICAN inspectors have visited 15 meat businesses in Spain as trade negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Mexico raise the prospect of greater exports to the Latin American country.

Mexico is already the main non-EU market for Spanish cured, cooked and preserved pork products and hopes are high that pork meat will be included in any deal with the EU.…

Central America’s increasing exposure to money laundering is at least being recognised by the governments on the region, who are working both individually and collectively to combat the problem.

The region has strengthened cooperation, for instance. A key initiative is the Central American Integration System (SICA), a regional political organisation which coordinates government actions for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic regarding certain policy development and programmes, notably improving law enforcement.…

Price may still be king in shaping American consumer demand for meat products, but its influence is waning as buyers seek more information on sourcing and preparation, according to key industry surveys and multiple retail insiders.

This trend is apparent across all retail sectors, from supermarkets to club stores to butcher shops, according to a comprehensive 2014 survey published by the American Meat Institute (AMI).…

ACCA has called on the European Commission to propose extending the scope of mandatory use of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) within the European Union (EU), stressing the value created by IFRS in Europe and worldwide. Its comments have come in a Commission review of the impact of mandating IFRS for consolidated financial statements of around 7,000 EU companies whose securities are traded on a regulated EU market.…

ACCA has called on the European Commission to propose extending the scope of mandatory use of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) within the European Union (EU), stressing the value created by IFRS in Europe and worldwide. Its comments have come in a Commission review of the impact of mandating IFRS for consolidated financial statements of around 7,000 EU companies whose securities are traded on a regulated EU market.…

ADAPTIVE licensing methods such as that proposed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are indeed useful in the development of medicines for rare diseases, Martin Andrews, the senior vice-president at GSK Rare Diseases, has told the World Orphan Drugs Congress 2014.…

The Middle East and North African nonwovens sector is in flux. At the same time as extra capacity has come online, regional demand has been affected by political instability, forcing manufacturers to focus on exports and diversify their offerings.

“It is showing clearly now that the Arab Spring and political consequences have definitely delayed investment decisions by potential customers.…

CLOTHING industry leaders in the USA met on Wednesday (Nov 5) in New York and considered whether America’s mid-term elections on the previous day had made securing agreement on the critically important Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) more difficult.

With the opposition Republicans taking control of the US Senate, and consolidating control of its House of Representatives, the task of President Barack Obama in securing special rights to ratify a deal got harder.…

AROUND 140 billion cubic metres of associated natural gas from oil production is still burned off annually, according to World Bank analysis of satellite images from the United States’ (US) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Flares light up the night sky in regions such as the Arabian Desert and America’s Bakken formation in North Dakota, where shale oil production is booming.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) seems to have sparked a regulatory trend with its REACH chemical control system, with more and more countries in Asia adopting REACH-inspired chemical management laws. Thus textile finishing units, companies and suppliers will have to pay increasingly close attention to chemical regulations in Asia-Pacific countries such as China and South Korea.…

INNOVATIONS in bottles and jar manufacture, from using waste food as feedstock to creating gas bubbles in traditional materials to lighten packages and reduce material inputs, are helping personal care product companies reduce costs and their environmental footprint simultaneously.

And where companies are really smart, they can use these innovations to improve aesthetics, and add functionality features.…

FEDERAL government USA civil aviation programmes are expected to proceed – for the most part – in 2015, with the US Senate approving a federal government budget for the current fiscal year on Saturday December 14. With President Barack Obama indicated that he would approve the bill, averting a government shutdown, federal aviation programmes look set to be funded through to September 30, which in the US government, counts for some security.…

AS companies and government organisations implement more stringent fraud detection programmes, they are recruiting the best and brightest anti-fraud experts. Universities in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia are responding to demand for anti-fraud expertise by offering fraud prevention classes in accounting, criminology, and business degrees.…

The all-electric version of Nissan Motor Co’s NV200 mid-size van has been launched in the Japanese market, with executives expressing optimism about sales, even though manufacturing will be based at Nissan’s Barcelona, Spain, plant.  

This is to bring supplies close to the large European market, but Takao Katagiri, the company’s executive vice president, has said he is confident that the e-NV200 will quickly command niche sales in Japan.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) might have been making the regulatory heavy weather with its REACH chemical control system, but paints and coatings companies increasingly have to pay close attention to developing chemicals regulations in Asia-Pacific countries such as China and South Korea.…

GHANA continues to be recognised as one of Africa’s success stories. The country remains relatively peaceful and stable, and its economy has grown at an annual average of around 6% over the past six years. As a result, it is maybe not a surprise that Ghana was ranked healthily at 5.88 (10 being the worst score) in the 2014 Basel Anti-Money Laundering index, among the lowest in west Africa, only bettered by established democracy Senegal, with 5.43.…

Mexico, South America, and the United States are usually the focus of discussions about money laundering, drug-trafficking and transnational crime in the Western Hemisphere. However, as countries like Mexico and Colombia have upped their security game, criminals have taken advantage of their small Central American neighbours as weaker links for both the transport of drugs and the laundering of illicit funds associated with the trade.…

IT is often said that the UK and USA are separated by a common language, but there are real and clear differences between the two countries’ approaches to developing combined head and power (CHP). This is today firmly entrenched as part of the UK energy mix but many in the industry would argue that this is in spite of rather than because of the approach taken by ministers.…

ANTIMICROBIAL textile manufacturers face an ever increasing number of mandatory and voluntary standards around the world that clarify and specify how they can ensure safety, quality, and proper testing of their products. With bacteria becoming more resistant to anti-microbial treatments, this is of special importance to cleanroom managers in hospitals, laboratories, food research, military and other sectors.…

CHANGING demographic patterns in the domestic market are driving innovation at Japan’s largest producer of soy sauce and seasonings, while growing overseas demand means that the Kikkoman Corporation is actively looking to raise its international profile, according to Noriaki Horikiri, president and chief executive officer of the company.…

As the global apparel sector searches for more eco-friendly fibres and fabrics, innovative developments are increasingly focusing on more sustainable and often unusual alternative feedstocks.
Companies are being encouraged to innovate also by recent high cotton prices and a growing awareness that tighter control of supply chains can help keep costs down in general.…

THE NEWLY finalised European Union (EU)-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will give European knitwear manufacturers an advantage over Canadian producers and could encourage European brands to set up operations in Canada, an industry leader in Ottawa has argued.

CETA includes mutual investment protection clauses for EU and Canada companies wanting to establish themselves or finance manufacturing in the other signatory jurisdiction.…

KENYAN knitwear exporters maybe the biggest knitting sector winners from a comprehensive trade deal struck between the European Union (EU) and the East African Community (EAC), which was finalised on October 16. It should boost trade between the two regions – including of yarns and knitted or crocheted clothing and fabrics.…

THE CATTLEMEN’S Beef Promotion and Research Board in the USA will spend USD10.5 million of its USD39 million investments planned for the fiscal year of October 1, 2014-2015 to promote beef sales in its domestic market.

The goal of this consumer information campaign is to “improve domestic preference for beef by educating consumers about things like beef safety, nutrition and health, convenience, taste and value,” the board’s communications manager Diane Henderson told globalmeatnews.com.…

Russian health regulators have now approved the import of pork from five Chinese suppliers, including two subsidiaries of the Shuanghui Group, globalmeatnews.com has been told. The move comes as Moscow seeks to replace supplies from Europe and America, which it is blocking because of its diplomatic standoff with the west over the Ukraine conflict.…

CANADA will start developing capacity to produce hormone-free meat for the European Union (EU) market following the conclusion of an EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a senior European Commission official has said. The end of technical negotiations was formally announced on Friday (September 26) during an EU-Canada summit in Ottawa.…

THE APPAREL manufacturing sector is the third largest reshored sector of all industries in America, after electronics and computers, Reshoring Initiative founder Harry C Moser has told just-style. “As at March 2014, 24 apparel companies have been reshored as against 41 companies of electronics including appliances and 26 computer and electronics firms” since the momentum for reshoring began from 2011, Mr Moser said.…

Plans to build a major textile factory in Ethiopia are closer to being realised for Chinese textile company, Jiangsu Lianfa Textile Co. Ltd, after a pre-investment plan to construct the USD500 million factory was finalised this month (September). 

Its decision to invest in the Horn of Africa country comes after making investment assessments in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.…

Two years ago Brazil was so worried that its main airports would not be ready for the 2014 World Cup that its government froze plans to build and renovate 270 airfields nationwide. Now that the football fiesta is over and the concessions running key hubs has delivered good results, South America’s powerhouse looked set to start focusing on airports and airfields in smaller cities, especially those that are not state capitals.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced it will pay an additional EUR3 million to the Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP), financing its work to 2016. AIRCOP is run by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and Interpol, and aims to strengthen anti-narcotic detection, interdiction and intelligence capacities in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. …

JAPANESE electronics giant Hitachi is partnering Barclays Bank to trial finger vein pattern scanning for Barclays’ UK business customers to access online accounts starting 2015.

The Barclays Biometric Reader, incorporating Hitachi VeinID technology, lets customers scan a finger to access accounts and authorise payments without needing a personal identification number (PINs), password or authentication code.…

Over the past few years, Spain’s government has regularly questioned whether Gibraltar’s excellent economic condition has more to do with money laundering, smuggling and tax evasion than good business practice. “The wealth that Gibraltar enjoys cannot continue to be based solely on an economy that is clearly damaging for our country and for the European Union,” said Spain’s minister for European affairs Íñigo Méndez de Vigo in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC in September 2013.…

THE UNITED States is trying to come up with a tailor-made international marketing strategy to tap a bigger share of pork sales, now growing at an estimated 12% between 2013- 2018 globally, the country’s National Pork Board (NPB) vice president for strategic communication Kevin Waetke said.…

THE CANADIAN auto industry has welcomed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) now negotiated between the European Union (EU) and Canada, but it may become more significant, if a trade deal is struck between the EU and the USA.

“The biggest issues with CETA, and what we’re excited about, is the removal of the EU 10% tariff,” said Jeffrey Pierce, policy analyst at Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, an industry association, whose members include Canada-based automotive manufacturers.…

AS TECHNOLOGICAL security features in cosmetics and personal care products packaging become increasingly sophisticated and harder to beat, they will offer more intelligent and multi-functional security. From authentication, to tracking and tracing products during distribution, and preventing and detecting tampering, these systems help brands access their global distribution network, ensuring products move smoothly from production to consumer.…

Sourcing trends in fast fashion in Europe and north America are in flux, being affected by the economic downturn, changes in consumer behaviour and growing awareness of industry practices, especially in the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh last year.…

THE PRESIDENT of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TCMA) has said plans by the Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo to open a production office in Turkey later this year are another indication of Turkey’s popularity as a textiles and clothing sourcing hub.…

Taiwan’s main airport, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, is to undergo a major expansion, increasing its annual passenger capacity from 32 million to 60 million by 2030. Located halfway between the capital Taipei and the island’s industrial heartland along its western coast, the airport is planned to become the centerpiece of the government’s highly ambitious Taoyuan Aerotropolis project, which with an estimated investment of Taiwan New Dollar TWD600 billion (USD20 billion).…

A potential bonanza of new projects may be offered to Chinese construction companies following the set-up of a new development bank with lots of cash for infrastructure projects. This July marked the launch of the so-called ‘BRICS Bank’, a new multilateral development bank, operated by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.…

Chinese construction firms have cornered plenty of business in Africa and Latin America, but they need upskilling to consolidate their position. Anyone who observes the queues of nervous young men lining up in the early morning in Beijing’s tree-lined Sanlitun diplomatic district will be in no doubt of the intensity of Chinese activity in Africa and Latin America.…

The Chinese government is fighting a rearguard action at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against US plans to impose countervailing duties on exports to America of Chinese-made aluminium extrusions.

It has lodged an appeal against a WTO disputes settlement body (DSB) ruling that these US plans were partly justified under world trade rules.…

Caribbean jurisdictions may be increasingly signing up to the requirements of America’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) but there is no great enthusiasm about it. Indeed, some bankers fear it could lead to a sharp fall in the region’s charms for investors.…

Brazilian booksellers teamed up at São Paulo’s international book biennial from August 22 to 31 to lobby its government to help protect them against Amazon’s physical and e-book sales service, now serving South America’s largest economy.

Amazon launched its physical books service on August 21 with 150,000 titles available, the vast majority on Brazilian Portuguese.…

THE USA is a key market for Australian beef and lamb exports and its importance is growing: Australia’s beef exports by volume to America shooting up by 53% in the first half of 2014, [calendar year] compared with the same period in 2013” making America its largest beef export destination so far, Meat & Livestock Australia chief economist Tim McRae told globalmeatnews.com.…

PRODUCTION at Venezuela state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) has slumped under mounting financial pressures, building during the past 15 years when revenues have been tapped by its socialist government to fund social programmes, diplomatic initiatives and other non-commercial policies.…

The manufacture of nonwovens surgical gowns are offering Cambodia’s nascent non-wovens sector hope for growth,  in one of the world’s toughest garment and fabric export businesses. The problem for smaller emerging market countries such as Cambodia, experts from international non-wovens industry associations told WTiN.com…

The investment arm of Hong Kong-based Li & Fung is investing in US-based Centric Software Inc, a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software to the apparel industry, helping Centric’s expansion into Asia. Centric announced yesterday (July 29) it has secured USD24 million in growth capital from financiers including Fung Capital USA – the investment arm of Hong Kong-based Fung Group, which includes Li & Fung.…

European food manufacturers have welcomed progress on a transatlantic free trade deal at a meeting of negotiators and business leaders in Brussels but warned that American non-tariff barriers need scrapping to enable exporters to take full advantage of an agreement.
Speaking to officials and industry representatives at Wednesday’s (July 16) meeting, Roxane Feller, economic affairs director at trade association FoodDrinkEurope, said: “The United States is our top trading partner.…

Many eyes will be on a court room in Shanghai on July 29 when a Chinese judge will decide the fate of one of the most prominent investigators of fraud in China. The trial of Peter Humphreys and his wife Yu Yingzheng follows a year’s imprisonment for the two, who founded ChinaWhys, a Shanghai and Hong Kong-based firm that performed due diligence, credit checks (as well as investigations of staff for possible kickbacks or embezzlement) for western corporations in China.…

COSMETICS and personal care product companies are increasingly looking to eco-friendly packaging to deliver green marketing as well as practical cost-saving advantages. Producers are seeking to raise consumers’ awareness of environmentally-sensitive products by using packaging materials such as wood and decoration such as reusable ribbons and scarves; encouraging thrift by offering refillable fragrance bottles; and saving costs by using lighter packaging materials, that can also be flagged as sustainable on labelling.…

THE MIDDLE East cosmetics market is weathering the region’s current political and economic instability in the region. While the markets in the Levant are experiencing tough times, Gulf sales continue to grow. Retailers and manufacturers are also offsetting the losses incurred in depressed and unstable countries by exporting to burgeoning African markets.…

INDIA’s new government may impose a 20% anti-dumping duty on saturated fatty alcohols from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand – an important raw material for shampoos and cosmetics. Administrative proceedings that may spark the creation of this tariff started in this February, before the May general election, which brought the current BJP administration to power.…

SIX months after new European Union (EU) rules came into force regarding air passengers carrying liquids, aerosols and gels (the trade acronym is LAGs) in hand luggage at EU airports, business seems to have improved for personal care product duty free retailers.…

IN the 1970s and 1980s, the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean did not have a comprehensively robust reputation for sound financial management. Many Caribbean island states had newly emerged from colonialism, finding their way as independent countries. And many Latin American countries were riven by social discord, even civil war, with many under military rule.…

WHEN American personal care product giant Johnson & Johnson opened its shared-services centre in Prague during 2006, it employed 12 people and provided only in-group procure-to-pay services. Currently this Johnson & Johnson finance centre is the largest of the five centres the company operates worldwide in terms of staff numbers as well as the scope of services it provides to internal business partners.…

Latin America’s cosmetics and personal care products sector has boomed as consumers take advantage of their rising disposable incomes. The region (including Mexico) accounted for 17% of global sales in the beauty and personal care industry, according to market analysts Euromonitor International in 2013. …

The concept of closed loop supply chains sounds a laudable, if possibly Utopian, ideal: a virtuous circle of production from cradle – not to grave – but back to cradle again.

Right now, no company comes near to claiming that its whole production process not only produces zero waste, but operates within a cycle of perpetual sustainability.…

When India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept the just-concluded general elections riding on the slogan in Hindi ‘achche din aane wale hain’ – which means good days are coming soon – Indian garment exporters agreed.

With Modi’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government assuming power on May 26, the new textile minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar’s statement that he wants to project ‘Brand India’ abroad and boost garment exports has given exporters confidence that government help will be offered.…

LIVE pigs imported from the USA and Canada will henceforth be tested for porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) to prevent the disease being introduced to Europe from north America.

The controls have been approved by the European Union’s (EU) standing committee on the food chain and animal health (SCOFCAH).…

Nonwovens are taking on an increasingly important role in creating more sustainable vehicles, particularly in interiors, offering lightweight materials reducing fuel usage, recyclability, and the use of green feedstocks such as plant and waste food material.

The US-based global Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) estimates there was about 560,000 tonnes of nonwovens in global automotive usage in 2013, said Dave Rousse, INDA’s president.…

Global steel transformation giant Bekaert is awaiting a European Commission decision on whether its plans to acquire Pirelli Tyre’s steel tyre cord business can go ahead. Bekaert expects a ruling this month (July) on the USD350 million deal to expand the company’s share of the global market from Brussels’ competition directorate general.…

INDIA’S newly launched Knitting Technology Mission (KTM) project is primarily trying to diversify the country’s knitwear exports with a shift away from cotton to manmade fibre based knitted goods. The KTM committee chairman Dr A Sakthivel has hailed the project as a “platform to add value across the supply chain.”…

While Brazilians have been happy with the success of their FIFA World Cup party, the prospects of the country’s confectionery industry are rather more mixed.

Sales of sweet confectionery have been soft as consumers turn away from sugary snacks in favour of healthier snacks.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission wants the see the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) recognise each other’s list of substances that can be used in cosmetic products, as well as the list of substances that cannot be used. This is according to a negotiating position that is being debated in Washington DC this week during the current round of negotiations for a transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP).…

A NEW agreement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to reduce many of the formalities facing exporters could give fresh impetus to cosmetics companies engaged in world trade, although some business leaders say it was only one of a number of problems they faced.…

Global technology analysts Gartner Inc is well known for its articulated predictions. An announcement in January 2014 to accompany its report on ‘Predicts 2014: The Rise of the Postmodern ERP and Enterprise Applications World’, highlighted the complex, and at times conflicting scenario facing companies considering moving their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to the cloud.…

The European Commission has approved the use of ethyl lauroyl arginate (E-243) as a preservative in most heat-treated meat products in the 28-country European Union (EU). But the Commission has retained a ban on its use in emulsified sausages, smoked sausages and liver paste.…

THE COUNTRIES of Latin America may have strong cultural links, but their politics and economies have always varied and this is still the case with the paint and coatings sector. Whilst the whole region has experienced rising incomes over the past decade, this growth has been far from even and is currently under threat – for instance in Venezuela and Argentina, where interventionist governments have impeded trade.…

NORTH American researchers have discovered a way to genetically engineer trees to make their wood easier to break down in industrial processing, requiring fewer chemicals and less energy to produce paper and biofuels. The project, a collaboration between researchers at Canada’s University of British Columbia (UBC) and the USA’s University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University, has potentially significant implications for the commercial use of wood by-products and how they relate to forestry management and the environment.…

GROWTH in the global nonwoven consumer wipes market is set to slow over the coming years, although a number of trends are encouraging brands and manufacturers in particular product segments such as baby wipes and anti-bacterial surface care products. Meanwhile, a growing range of innovations are emerging focused on producing flushable wipes.…

Russia is well placed to export more nickel, aluminium, ferro-alloys, lead ores and zinc ores to China, should the US and European Union (EU) impose sanctions because of the Ukraine crisis.

With pro-Russian activists yesterday seizing another police station – in Horlivka, near Donetsk – and the Ukraine military now reacting – retaking the regional airport in Kramatorsk, tensions are rising. …

CHINA has announced that it will re-admit pork and poultry imports from Chile, having suspended them last July (2013) over concerns about dioxin contamination.

China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has however posted a statement insisting that importers submit animal health documents and no–doxin-contamination test reports from Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG).…

Apparel and textile companies must consider a variety of complex factors when looking to switch suppliers, especially to a new manufacturer, such as assessing the risk of delivery delays and receiving products of poor quality.

Software specifically geared towards apparel and textile production can now help companies track these changes, anticipate issues caused by the shift, and help integrate new suppliers within the supply chain, while tracking their progress.…

ONE of the warmest fibres used in knitwear across the world is also – unsurprisingly – one of the rarest and most expensive, making the manufacturing of ‘qiviuk’ garments from musk ox wool a true art. Harvested from the soft underfur of this High Arctic musk ox, qiviuk fibre is long, does not shrink when washed and lacks the scales that makes sheep wool itchy.…

Cotton’s share of the American clothing market has fallen following the sharp rise in cotton prices in 2012 but the industry is fighting back. The US International Trade Administration says that American clothing traders imported 12.29 billion square-metres worth of cotton apparel last year (2013) compared to 12.04 billion square metre’s worth of clothes made with artificial fibres.…

A more sustainable fashion industry requires complete transparency and control over every aspect of production. That was the message at the third biennial Copenhagen Fashion Summit, held last Thursday (April 24) in the Danish capital. More than 1,100 participants convened at the Copenhagen Opera House, with 23 speakers focusing on consumer behaviour, recycling and CO2-emissions, all to guide the fashion industry down a more sustainable path.…

A NEW agreement between the United States and the Netherlands that came into force in February will facilitate cooperation in civil aviation safety between US- and Dutch-controlled air space in the Caribbean. With this umbrella agreement in place, the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Netherlands aviation authorities, Dutch and American air navigation service providers are now looking at how they can coordinate air traffic controls within American and Dutch jurisdictions.…

The e-book market in Latin America is trailing far behind those in Europe and the United States, frustrating editors gathered at the 40th Buenos Aires International Book Fair – ‘Feria del Libro de Buenos Aires’ (April 24 to May 12).

In Argentina, where publishers and readers seem reluctant to abandon print, the e-book market has remained stagnant over the past year.…

The corporate logo of a white cross on a red shield is instantly and unmistakably the mark of every adventurous schoolboy’s favourite gadget. But while Victorinox is renowned for its Swiss Army Knives, it is now bringing the same commitment of quality to ranges of functional and fashionable clothing that make the most of innovative materials.…

A TRADE agreement struck between Canada and South Korea this week (Tuesday March 11) has raised fears in the Canadian automobile about a potential increase in South Korean automotive exports.

Upon the agreement’s ratification (which may happen within a year), South Korea will remove all existing tariffs, including on all passenger cars and light trucks (8%) and all automotive parts (3% to 8%) exported from Canada.…

REPRESENTATIVES from Europe’s food and drinks industry have backed an “ambitious and comprehensive” Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union (EU) and the USA However, they have asked negotiators to find creative ways to deal with technical trade barriers restricting EU-US food and drink commerce, including sanitary and phytosanitary rules.…

NATURAL and ‘halal’ cosmetics are making gradual inroads into the lucrative Gulf markets, which have some of the highest spending per capita on fragrances and cosmetics in the world. A handful of local companies and distributors are springing up to cater to the growing trend for natural or organic cosmetics, while the development of the ‘halal’ sector is actively being pushed by the Dubai government, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).…

PRODUCERS of anti-ageing and extra moisturising products in the United States are benefitting as the national population ages. “People are living longer…it’s good for business…they are buying products longer in their lives,” said Jeffrey Light, president of Aroma Naturals, California, which in March 2014 launched its ‘Amazing 30’ range of care products for skin types including old age.…

THREE of the world’s biggest marine coatings markets – China, South Korea and Japan – have a lot in common even though they face diverse market conditions across Asia, according to market analysts. China’s shipyards will power growth in the Asia-Pacific marine coatings market, but it is the major international coatings companies and their China-based joint ventures that remain in prime position to benefit, according to new research from consultancy Frost & Sullivan.  …

THE USE of nonwovens manufacturing technology to make woundcare products has always been a key part of the nonwovens sector, but increasingly one of its fastest-growing global niches is medical single-use disposables. This is partly due to legislative changes in the US; partly to hopes for fast track, permanent elimination of the European Union’s (EU) 4.3% import tariff on America nonwovens; and partly to catch-up usage in Asia, and to a lesser extent Europe, where the supplanting of long-established re-use practices appears to have barely begun.…

Colombia has perhaps the strongest reputation in Latin America for playing host to powerful illicit drug cartels and their related money laundering. As a result, it is perhaps reassuring that over the past three years, the Colombian government, through the country’s Attorney General’s Office, seized between USD1 billion and USD1.2 billion, according Luis Edmundo Suárez, Colombia’s Unidad de Información y Análisis Financiero – financial information and analysis unit (UIAF).…

The impact of any American and European Union (EU) sanctions on the non-ferrous metal trade with Russia could be significant, although US and EU industry associations contacted by Metal Bulletin are thus far refusing to comment on the potential consequences.

The EU and the US last week (Wednesday March 26) agreed in Brussels to work on the imposition of sanctions against Russia and with Russian nationalist activists occupying civic buildings in eastern Ukraine, the diplomatic stakes are again rising.…

THE NICARAGUAN government has raised fears that the planned reopening of the US market to Brazilian beef could risk spreading foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to north and central America. Its representatives spoke out at a meeting this week (Thursday March 26) of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) sanitary and phytosanitary committee, in Geneva.…

CANADIAN meat exporters have welcomed a Canada-South Korea free trade agreement announced yesterday (March 11), saying it will boost trade and help them compete for sales in South Korea’s often wealthy markets.

“The absence of an FTA [free trade agreement] with Korea was causing substantial and growing prejudice to the Canadian pork industry due to the tariff rates since all of our key competitors in South Korea have FTAs in place,” said Jean-Guy Vincent, chair of the Canadian Pork Council.…

Changes in the way in which healthcare is delivered across Asia mean there are challenges but also opportunities for a new generation of nurses, with experts calling for organisations such as the Royal College of Nursing to better assist and support the sector in developing nations.…

NORDIC nonwoven companies Suominen, Ahlstrom and Fibertex are fast emerging from the post-2008 economic downturn fitter and leaner. This follows five years of cost-cutting and market re-alignment projects that included unit divestments, strategic acquisitions, and increased use of automation to reduce costs and strengthen profitability.…

NEGOTIATIONS for a renewed International Agreement on Olive Oil are intensifying in Madrid. The agreement runs out at the end of this year and its member jurisdictions, of which the European Union (EU) is the biggest, are working to forge a new agreement by December.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) will have to make concessions on meat in its negotiations with the US for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a senior European Commission official warned last night (Tuesday). John Clarke, director for international affairs at the European Commission’s directorate general (DG) for agriculture said: “We will have to reduce our tariffs in areas like meat.”…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Brazil are to boost their cooperation over health controls in their trade in meat and livestock, said a joint communiqué released after a summit meeting in Brussels. Both sides said they would boost “longstanding bilateral relations” and “raise the level of communication, cooperation and engagement to solve sanitary and phytosanitary issues in line with the principles, regulations, rights and obligations” set out by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).…

THE UNITED Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched a campaign raising awareness about organised crime and counterfeit goods, with a significant focus on fake medicines. Called ‘Counterfeit: Don’t buy into organised crime’, its aim making consumers less likely to buy fakes.…

PAINT and coatings companies working in the European Union (EU) are expected to require special permission to use a significant ingredient after the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) decided it should be subject to the REACH system’s ‘authorisation’ procedure.

This highlights certain chemicals deemed of very high environmental health concern and which are used in large volumes.…

The Philippine garment industry says it will relaunch its lobbying efforts to push a law through the US Congress giving it privileged access to American markets, after the shelving of the long anticipated proposed America’s Save Our Industries Act (SAVE Act).…

Clothing and textile industry disasters in the past year-and-a-half including fires and building collapses at factories in countries including Bangladesh and Pakistan have pushed companies to expand their definition of ‘safe’ suppliers to include more ethical and social standards. Yet, despite, brands’ desire to monitor more operations, the fragmented organisation of standards around the world remains a key challenge.…

With the need for checking the safety of supply chains being a growing concern, software providers are updating their products to help apparel and textile companies monitor their manufacturing and distribution partners. The technology helps brands organise their supplies, as they become increasingly involved in ensuring outsourcer factories are safe and compliant with national and international standards.…

GREATER international and government-industry collaboration is taking the fight to cyber criminals who exploit security weaknesses in IT systems. Just as well: cyber security has rocketed up the league table of chief executive officers’ concerns as lurid examples of cybercrime become almost a weekly media event.…

Personal care product multinationals have long been known for their eagerness to invest in China, even during the recent global recession. That is why the decision by two renowned PCP companies to retreat from China in the past month is so remarkable.…

THE BEST packaging always seems to be an integral part of a product – indeed for personal care product consumers, the appearance of a container can be why they make a purchase. So for brands, making packaging decorations and finishing seem to melt into a product can be or critical importance.…

THE JAPANESE pharma sector may have previously lagged behind its counterparts in Europe and north America helping the very poorest people in the developing world, but the enthusiasm with which five of Japan’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have embraced the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund indicates a sea change in policy.…

COSTA Rica’s pork sector has welcomed Japan’s declaration that the central American country is free of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), opening the doors to its pigmeat exporters to tap the lucrative Japanese market. “The pork industry is very important for the country and our goal is for national production to increase and strengthen,” said Doctor Silvia Niño Villamizar, a member of the regulation department of the Animal Products Safety Directorate (DIPOA) for Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA). …

US-based Alcoa World Alumina LLC (AWA) and its majority-owner Alcoa Inc (Alcoa), the global alumina sales company, are to pay a total of USD384 million in penalties after AWA admitted funnelling bribes to officials in Bahrain.

In 2004, an Alcoa company corruptly won a supply agreement with Bahraini government-controlled smelter Aluminium Bahrain BSC by agreeing to sell alumina ore through offshore shell companies owned by a sham London-based distributor who marked up the sales price by around USD188 million.…

BRAZIL’S taxes on imported products, meant to encourage domestic production, has curbed imports of motor vehicles from the European Union (EU) and in some cases even moved research and engineering jobs from Europe to Brazil, an EU official has told wardsauto.com.  …

BRAZIL-based textile industry conferences in 2014 will focus on innovation, with the country’s fabric sector seeking to trade up to higher end products.

Fairs such as Première Vision, have been growing in size. The bi-annual event was staged this month in São Paulo from January 21-22, with a follow up meeting from November 4 to 5.…

BY KITTY SO

US-based Alcoa World Alumina LLC (AWA) and its majority-owner Alcoa Inc (Alcoa), the global alumina sales company, are to pay a total of USD384 million in penalties after AWA admitted funnelling bribes to officials in Bahrain.

In 2004, an Alcoa company corruptly won a supply agreement with Bahraini government-controlled smelter Aluminium Bahrain BSC by agreeing to sell alumina ore through offshore shell companies owned by a sham London-based distributor who marked up the sales price by around USD188 million.…

FOR years, Switzerland’s success as a global financial center has rested upon the rock-solid foundation of banking secrecy, a guarantee of discretion as solid at the Matterhorn.  The Swiss proudly declared banking secrecy to be part of the country’s DNA, a practice formally established in the 1930s when Nazi Germany was on the rise and which helped shield individuals against abusive states. …

THE AGREEMENT by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to reduce import-export red tape may lead to a seismic shift in the global automotive sector, an industry expert has told wardsauto.

Peter Cooke, the emeritus professor of automotive management at Britain’s University of Buckingham, said that major emerging markets without a substantial auto sector may create capacity because of the deal.…

AN INTERNATIONAL higher education conference has underlined the major progress made in building links between the universities of neighbouring countries in Latin America. But it also highlighted the significant remaining challenges facing Latin American higher education if it wants to be truly integrated with tertiary institutions worldwide.…

The European steel association Eurofer has welcomed the striking of the new global trade deal by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which should ease import and customs procedures that can slow the delivery of steel and steel products to export customers.…

WITH Canada and the European Union (EU) fleshing out details of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), announced in October, paints and coatings trade between the two could experience long-term growth thorough the removal of key trade barriers – both tariff and regulatory measures.…

BRAZIL will host not only the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but also the 2016 summer Olympic Games, and the resulting significant infrastructure projects are boosting its paint and coatings industry. “These events are having a very positive effect on the Brazilian paint and coatings industry,” said Fabio Humberg, spokesperson for the Brazilian Coatings Manufacturers Association (ABRAFATI).…

WITH Canada and the European Union (EU) fleshing out details of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), announced in October, paints and coatings trade between the two could experience long-term growth thorough the removal of key trade barriers – both tariff and regulatory measures.…

BRAZIL will host not only the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but also the 2016 summer Olympic Games, and the resulting significant infrastructure projects are boosting its paint and coatings industry. “These events are having a very positive effect on the Brazilian paint and coatings industry,” said Fabio Humberg, spokesperson for the Brazilian Coatings Manufacturers Association (ABRAFATI).…

EVEN if the heated political debate over the reform of the European Union’s (EU) common agricultural policy (CAP) has cooled off in Brussels after the final agreement reached in September, the European Commission is still thrashing out the practical rules on how the policy will be implemented.…

IT has not happened yet but the outlook for effective world-wide action to expose the beneficial ownership of shell companies and other kinds of suspect corporate vehicles is probably better today than it has been for many years, perhaps ever. That’s the word from Robert Palmer of Global Witness, the campaign group which has played a leading part in pressing for action on the matter.…

INCREASINGLY stringent regulations governing the cold chain transport of medicines for human use are tipped to become a major driver for the uptake of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by pharmaceutical suppliers in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to a recent report published by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan, America and Europe currently divide the biggest slice of market share in the global market for cold chain RFID.…

WINNERS AND LOSERS

RETAIL

WINNERS

ASOS

Fashion retailer ASOS showed online convenience and price are still a winning combination with shoppers. The UK-based online retailer continued its impressive trajectory this year, announcing pre-tax profit had reached GBP54.7m (US$88.3m) for the year ending 31 August, compared to GBP40m in the same period of last year, with retail sales jumping 40% to GBP753.8m, up from GBP537.9m last year. …

REGULATORY change, shifting security risks, technical advances and airport operational requirements present a complex landscape for developing passenger and cabin luggage screening.

For example, the European Civil Aviation Conference’s (ECAC) detection standard 1 is the prevailing regime but the ECAC standard 2 becomes mandatory for European Union (EU) airports after 2019.…

THE AGREEMENT by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to reduce import-export red tape may lead to a seismic shift in the global automotive sector, an industry expert has told wardsauto.

Peter Cooke, the emeritus professor of automotive management at Britain’s University of Buckingham, said that major emerging markets without a substantial auto sector may create capacity because of the deal.…

THE EXPLOITATION of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Peercoin and Namecoin, to name but a few, by money launderers is an emerging concern amongst anti-money laundering (AML) regulators. They may not be legal tender, but they are convertible if owners can find institutions or people willing to turn them into fiat currency.…

AN INTERNATIONAL higher education conference has underlined the major progress made in building links between the universities of neighbouring countries in Latin America. But it also highlighted the significant remaining challenges facing Latin American higher education if it wants to be truly integrated with tertiary institutions worldwide.…

International trade agreements might seem of little importance to the world of nursing – think again. The European Union (EU) has recently struck a comprehensive deal with Canada and is negotiating one with the USA that goes far beyond the usual scope of reducing tariffs on goods.…

THOSE who have spent some time walking Chinese supermarket aisles in the past decade will have noticed astonishing changes in the local diet. Increased sales of dairy products and meat are driving demand for soy as an animal feed ingredient, and demand for higher-end consumer products such as ice cream, and confectionery are increasing palm oil requirements.…

THERE are few brands as recognisable to Chinese consumers as the ‘Golden Dragon Fish’, the ‘Jin Long Yu’ in Mandarin, which adorns the tubs of cooking oil and bags of flour and rice in supermarkets across the country. The brand is owned by Singapore-based conglomerate Wilmar, a one-time trading house which has come to increasingly invest in downstream and upstream elements of the oil palm and soy industries.…

THE SIGHT of wind turbines in an offshore oilfield is nothing new. Operators in the Gulf of Mexico have for years used small wind turbines on oil and gas installations to power SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) computerised systems to keep fields operating.…

THE RECENTLY rebranded United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has re-launched itself at its annual meeting in New York, amidst predictions that the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement should be completed in early 2014.

Julia Hughes, the president of USFIA, and head of its predecessor the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA) told the November 6 meeting: “We are definitely much further along in the TPP negotiations, but we think it’s likely to take into next year to really wrap it all up,” she said.…

ACCORDING to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the largest single health threat to the population of the world today is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). How can it be countered and what options are open to government regulators, the medical profession and, especially, the pharmaceutical companies for the development of new antibiotics?…

ALTHOUGH Colombia’s pharmaceutical sector has enjoyed growth over the past few years, new price controls could disrupt the sector’s expansion if they are poorly planned, industry representatives claim.

Their concerns focus on the reaction to maximum price controls on medication recently approved by the government.…

SUB-SAHARAN African makers of cosmetics and personal care products are profiting from a growing and increasingly stable regional market, where economic growth is increasing demand for personal luxuries.

A report, ‘Business in Africa – Corporate Insights’ by Dianna Games, Standard Bank South Africa estimates that more than half of Africa’s population would be living in urban areas by 2030 and 60% by 2050, when the population would be about 2.4 billion, compared to 1 billion now.…

CORPORATE and personal banking customers may well feel more than a tad uneasy if their bank suddenly asks them to scan accounts for evidence of fraud but it is happening more and more in America and appears to be paying off.…

PRODUCERS of confectionery mixing machinery around the world continue to improve their machines, but generally opt for incremental improvements in sanitation and multi-purpose functions rather than creating entire new products.

Dutch confectionery equipment producer Tanis Confectionery, plans to unveil new mixing technology at Germany’s Interpack processes and packaging trade fair in May, Leo Tanis, CEO of Tanis Confectionery told Confectionery Production.…

Many confectionery manufacturers in the United States continue to make strides in sustainable packaging, focusing on reducing inputs and using more recyclable materials. However, ice cream manufacturers have prioritised cost savings and consumer trends in the past few years over eco-friendly features, stagnating innovation in sustainable ice cream packaging.…

AN INTERNATIONAL clothing and textile conference has heard how the growing retail market in the Asia-Pacific region may enable emerging economies such as Sri Lanka to realise ambitious dreams to become regional production hubs.

Kurt Cavano – founder/vice chairman & chief strategy officer of cloud computing company GT Nexus addressing the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum, held in Colombo on October 12, noted: “The top six retailers that are growing are not in North America, it is in the Asia Pacific.…

Any market and industry benefits from supply diversification, so major textile and clothing companies can take heart from continued innovation amongst fibre and fabric producers over sourcing. This extends, for instance, to sourcing material from unusual places such as milk and fishing nets, while creating more opportunities for traditional sources such as flax.…

THE NEW terminal at the principal international airport in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, Ministro Pistarini International, was inaugurated in March, increasing its total capacity to 13 million passengers – last year (2012) it struggled to accommodate 8.8 million passengers.…

HIGH tech innovators in sportswear and outdoor equipment are developing fabrics and garments that do more and perform better, from health monitoring to slowing the effects of aging. Many inventions spring from unlikely source materials, for instance waste milk. And for sports, manufacturers have to be especially clever – ensuring their innovations avoid creating uncompetitive advantages that break sporting rules.…

COMMUNICATIONS service providers (CSP) look increasingly to managed services for their operational support system (OSS) and base system substation (BSS) applications.

“One reason is that CSPs and operators are gaining confidence in the managed services model,” according to Matt Hooper, chief marketing officer at Warrington, UK-based MDS, a leading technology and services company in this space.…

COAL might be regarded as the oldest energy source going, but it is still currently the world’s largest long-term source of electricity. It fuels around 40% of global electricity production, according to the UK-based World Energy Council, a United Nations (UN) accredited body representing some 3,000 private and public-sector member organisations across 90 nations.…

DIGITAL innovation and exports dominated discussion at the 31st edition of Liber 2013, Spain’s leading book fair, which ended on Sunday (October 6) in Madrid after drawing 10,000 visitors, compared with 6,000 last year in Barcelona.

And while 450 exhibitors and 300-plus international buyers almost universally framed their comments in terms of recession, robust overseas sales and advances in e-publishing made for a slightly more positive mood than last year.…

THE NEW terminal at the principal international airport in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, Ministro Pistarini International, was inaugurated in March, increasing its total capacity to 13 million passengers – last year (2012) it struggled to accommodate 8.8 million passengers.…

ACCORDING to World Bank data on Brazil, air transport measured in passengers carried jumped from 32.3 million in 2003 to 94.6 million passengers in 2012. And airport infrastructure has failed to keep up with this rapid growth in demand. Adding the extra 600,000 tourists which the Brazilian Institute of Tourism expects to visit the country during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Brazil’s creaking airports could struggle to cope.…

A PARTNER at advisors McKinsey has argued that Bangladesh’s advantages in low cost and convenience for brands will ensure its clothing and textile sector keeps growing, despite the Rana Plaza disaster.

Dr Achim Berg led a study released at last week’s World Fashion Convention, Shanghai, which concluded that about 72% of the total 29 chief purchasing officers (CPO) surveyed are planning to move orders from China to other Asian countries in the next five years, although China will still remain as the largest sourcing market.…

SOFTWARE solutions specifically designed for the knitwear industry can save time and money while moving products from design to production more quickly.

Paris headquartered Pointcarré International is a leader in computer aided design (CAD), its innovative Pointcarré knit software and its various modules being used by major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Hot Sox, K.…

A SIGNIFICANT set of acquisitions by Brazilian meat major JBS has been given European Union (EU) regulatory approval by the European Commission. Acting as Europe’s international competition regulator, the Commission approved JBS’ purchase from Brazilian food processor Marfrig Alimentos of Netherlands-based Columbus Netherlands BV also known as Zenda) and six Brazilian-based companies that together form the Seara group.…

THE CONFECTIONERY sector has long been interested in edible packaging – the use of rice paper to contain sherbet being a classic example – but food technology companies are innovating hard to allow companies to boast their products generate no packaging waste.…

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013: MULTINATIONAL companies are less worried about the risk of having to pay bribes to ‘buy business’ than they are about lower level corruption affecting their routine operations. Despite concern, only half of them have safeguards in place.

These findings in a new survey from global risk consultancy Control Risks and the Economist Intelligence Unit are at odds with international enforcement efforts focused on “classic” corruption, i.e.…

PFIZER-owned Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc has agreed to pay USD490.9 million to resolve criminal and civil liability claims from its unlawful marketing of the prescription immunosuppressant drug Rapamune, the USA’s justice department has announced. It claims that Wyeth marketed the medicine in America for uses beyond those approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).…

The European Commission has today (Friday August 23) approved the acquisition of Luxembourg-based non-ferrous metal company Metallum Holding by American private equity investment firm TowerBrook Capital. The Commission, acting as the European Union’s (EU) senior competition regulator, waved the deal through as using a fast track procedure.…

THE INSURANCE risks involved in oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) are rising in line with growing industry complexity and the move into deeper, remoter and more environmentally sensitive environments.

This is placing ever greater demands on the need to identify, quantify and insure against risk, particularly when the financial and reputational repercussions of getting it wrong are escalating too.…

BRAZIL is an innovative technical textile producer, declares a report from a senior São Paulo’s business school the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), despite the sector experiencing teething problems as it expands. Looking at the Brazilian textile sector as a whole, the study estimates that 77% of investment into the sector during 2012 was used to buy innovative machinery – and the technical textile sector especially has a lot of demand to meet.…

IN A decision affecting individuals and employees from around the world but tax resident in America, US tax authorities ruled last month that same-sex couples legally married in jurisdictions that recognise their marriages will be treated as married for federal tax purposes.…

CONSUMERS in Asia and the Middle East are continuing to grow the market for halal cosmetics – until now, a relatively overlooked industry in halal certification – but suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, non-Moslems in the west are starting to buy these products, attracted by their natural and mild ingredients.…

The European co-generation sector has been looking hard for a competitive edge and one area of innovation that has helped it improve its energy efficiency is in the convergence of software, control and instrumentation, internet and wireless communication, and smart grids.…

reform of its financial markets may take another giant leap forward this summer with the expected reintroduction of bond futures after a 17 year hiatus. The launch of a new bond futures market in Shanghai may be good news for many seeking alternatives to the country’s heavy reliance on bank financing even as local banks this summer faced an unprecedented liquidity squeeze amid a government crackdown on unofficial lending.…

THERE was much fanfare in Managua in June when Nicaraguan officials granted a concession to build a USD40 billion canal, which would challenge the great Panama Canal. The unlikely builder: a Chinese businessman, Wang Jing, chairman of China-based Xinwei Telecom Enterprise Group and president of the newly established Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co.…

IT is common sense that for really fast fashion, sourcing should be made as close to a home market as costs will allow. And for the world’s two largest fast fashion markets – the European Union (EU) and the United States – geography does provide some useful neighbours able to offer lower cost out-sourcing, albeit not as cheap as in east and south Asia.…

To meet apparel and textile brands’ desire to move into fast fashion, manufacturers have begun to embrace new production processes that improve efficiency and performance. Apparel and textile manufacturers have been slower than many other manufacturing industries to embrace supply chain improvements in speed, but are now succumbing to pressure from brands moving into fast fashion retail.…

ONE of China’s largest dairy products manufacturers the Yili Group, has partnered with top US raw milk broker Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) seeking future growth opportunities in China, a Yili spokesman told just-food today. “Under this strategic alliance, our first goal is to jointly build a supply chain covering long-term procurement and farm service,” he said.…

MOBILE communication services have become a significant focus for airports worldwide regarding improving passenger experience, especially as the use of interconnected smart devices has boomed. Airports have been building on previous services, such as improving and expanding their wireless internet coverage and working with airlines to allow for flight check-ins via mobile communication devices.…

‘LA TORRE PUIG,’ the 22-storey Puig Tower now being fitted out in the Plaza de Europa, of the Catalan capital, Barcelona, for Puig SL, the family owned fragrances and fashion firm, will be yet another landmark building for one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.…

WHILE it is hard to generalise about a region as diverse as Latin America, the truth is that many of its consumers are more concerned about personal appearance than is typical elsewhere in the world, and that is good news for the personal care product industry.…

THE TEXTILE sectors of the European Union (EU) and the United States are keeping a close eye on negotiations under way to create a planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. This would be the world’s largest bilateral trade deal, and would aim to go beyond standard trade agreements by addressing technical rules that can impede trades in manufactured goods such as textiles, such as labelling, classification and chemical controls.…

The Brazilian textile manufacturing industry may come under threat as neighbouring Peru eyes up opportunities for expansion in Latin America’s biggest textile market. Peru currently exports USD102 million in textiles and apparel to Brazil annually (in 2012), and these exports have been increasing annually by 15% on average since 2010 according to the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT).…

THE NEGOTIATIONS for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and the United States, which started this month in Washington DC (July 8), could push the world towards a truly global vehicle regulatory system for the first time, according to EU sources close to the negotiations.…

IN the most populous city in the United States (population of about 8.34 million as of July 2012, traffic managers in New York City employ inter-agency cooperation and high tech solutions to fight congestion. “The New York City department of transportation has a very sophisticated traffic management system,” said José Holguín-Veras, director of the New York-based Centre for Infrastructure, Transportation and the Environment.…

As befits a country as connected online as South Korea traffic controls in its capital Seoul are organised centrally and in an integrated way. As one of the world’s largest cities, with a population exceeding 10 million, Seoul has notoriously heavy traffic.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission yesterday (Wednesday) released documents showing that it wants the US to ban export restrictions on selling raw materials to the European Union, during negotiations for the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. This would be the world’s largest bilateral trade deal, and the Commission has been uncharacteristically transparent by publishing its initial negotiating documents.…

POPULAR models in the Brazilian car market are likely to vanish from the streets in Latin America’s largest nation as new safety standards come into play. Brazilian automotive experts have said that the upcoming car safety law, which will be enforced from the start of 2014, will make popular models such as the Volkswagen Kombi, still commonly driven in Brazil, unfit for driving and too costly to upgrade.…

THE ELECTION of tobacco magnate Horacio Cartes as Paraguay’s President cy was mired by scandalous accusations of corruption, and now experts say he will do little to confront the country’s flourishing contraband cigarette trade.
Mr Cartes, 56, is a business tycoon and newcomer to politics who owns more than 20 companies, including Paraguay’s largest cigarette manufacturer Tabacalera del Este (Tabesa).…

The administration of US President Barack Obama administration has proposed a new anti-money laundering (AML) National Action Plan, which should help America bring its already robust AML regime closer to the revised Recommendations agreed in February 2012 by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).…

The privatisation and expansion of the Brazilian airport sector has proved to be a significant opportunity for the American civil aviation sector, which has been vying for opportunities in Brazil’s air navigation, airport and airport-related services. These opportunities are set to increase with the United States Trade and Development Agency’s (USTDA) having brokered a US-Brazil Aviation Partnership, signed last April and now being rolled out in earnest.…

Chicago Rockford International Airport director Mike Dunn probably hated to break the news. The airport’s AirFest Labour Day extravaganza would have to be scrubbed this year due to the federal government’s budget sequester. It seems that in March, the federal government pulled the plug on all military aerial demonstrations, effective April 1.…

FOREIGN companies in China face a tough choice when becoming victims of fraud – do they let it go, knowing that they might be hit again later, or tangle with the fraudsters, privately, or using China’s often responsive law enforcement and court systems?…

BIOMETRICS technologies producing voice and phone ‘fingerprints’ to prevent, detect and prosecute fraud and other crimes are evolving rapidly in an arms race between fraudsters, law enforcement, private companies and private sector anti-fraud companies.

For forensics, many jurisdictions admit voice biometrics in evidence.…

While the American civil aviation sector has its problems, the long term future is bright, according to the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA). In a groundbreaking forecast released last March (2012), it predicted the US industry would grow steadily over the next 20 years, reaching 1.2 billion passengers flying commercially by 2024, compared to 731 million in 2011.…

may be a big concept, but the road to making personal care product packaging greener is made of small incremental steps that can both provide green marketing benefits and reduce costs.

Recent innovations include reducing the size of containers, while maintaining the volume of product they hold, alongside innovations in using renewable resources and keeping packaging waste out of landfills.…

SUSTAINABILITY may be a big concept, but the road to making personal care product packaging greener is made of small incremental steps that can both provide green marketing benefits and reduce costs.

Recent innovations include reducing the size of containers, while maintaining the volume of product they hold, alongside innovations in using renewable resources and keeping packaging waste out of landfills.…

SOUTH Korea’s paint and coatings sector displayed sturdy stability in 2012, weathering an ongoing global economic slowdown that has affected growth rates in Asia, as well as Europe and north America. However the industry is worried about a new environmental law that has been inspired by the European Union’s (EU) REACH legislation.…

Alliance Boots’ key mainland China joint venture partner is planning to expand its distribution networks to reach the whole country, a London-based spokesperson for the personal care giant told Soap Perfumery and Cosmetics on Friday night.

The UK-based company sells cosmetics through certain Mannings stores in Hong Kong and would like to expand those sales to mainland China: “We would like to; we are still considering it.…

CAR parts suppliers in the US, the European Union (EU) and Japan will be better equipped to comply with environmental regulations as a result of an international alliance forged by the industry, its American representative has claimed. David Lalain, vice president of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) welcomed AIAG joining forces with the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) and the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) in a global cooperation deal.…

QATAR is a country in a hurry. Under its 22 year plan, the Qatar National Vision 2030, the country is planning to diversify away from its reliance on hydrocarbons to become a knowledge-based, sustainable economy. Some USD93 billion is being spent on education, health care and infrastructure projects to morph this former Gulf desert backwater into a cutting edge, 21st century state.…

Drinks packaging design has always been about communicating with consumers – whether it is broadcasting a brand image or delivering information. And with new technologies aiding communication in many ways, interaction is a key theme with international beverage packaging designers today.…

The Russian government is considering investing up to Russian Rubles RUB3 billion (USD90 million) to support its domestic book publishing this year, taking the money from a federal ‘Culture of Russia’ programme.

According to the Federal Press and Mass Communications State Agency, whichis coordinating this scheme until 2018, these funds will enable the publication of at least 550 new book titles, mostly by Russian authors.…

AFTER many false starts and delays, Pakistan appears to be finally ready to expand its bagasse and biomass co-generation output by persuading the 83 sugar mills in the country to start production of electricity on commercial basis. The government is planning incentives such as an attractive upfront power purchase tariff and help in capital financing.…

THROUGH their fat content, dairy products affect viscosity in the production of confectionery, bakery and ice-cream products and also the ‘mouth feel’ of the end product. The trick in manipulating this to advantage is to start from ingredients as near ideal characteristics as possible, then use the most reliable and sensitive equipment that return-on-investment considerations allow.…

CUBA turned tobacco enthusiasts’ and international observers’ heads earlier this month when it filed its first ever complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against Australia’s tough tobacco plain-paper packaging restrictions.

The communist Caribbean island joined the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Ukraine in challenging Australia’s 2012 law which requires all tobacco products be placed in generic packages featuring graphic health warnings, but not brand logos.…

THE UNITED States might be a relatively new country, but it has not been keen on changing the borders of its constituent states, counties and cities. The result is sometimes an administrative hotchpotch, with political and administrative boundaries set in the 1700s and 1800s bisecting urban communities in an almost arbitrary way.…

As transportation technology in the United States continues to become more intelligent and efficient, traffic managers are turning to innovative software to organise increasingly complex networks of infrastructure and communications. 

For example, the world-ranking higher education institution the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been researching enabling traffic simulators to not only show potential impact on traffics flows of new roads, bridges and traffic lights, but also to suggest the best infrastructure changes from a range of options, said Carolina Osorio, assistant professor at MIT’s department of civil and environmental engineering.…

DESPITE the presence of anti-fraud legislation, fraud and corruption are an everyday part of life throughout South America, where fraudsters are unlikely to be convicted, let alone penalised.

“Penalties don’t really have an effect on fraudsters,” said Fernando Gamiz, an analyst at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), with over 20 years of experience working on South American fraud.…

ALTHOUGH China is known for skilled workers making clothing for big brand names, the country still relies heavily on imports when it comes to high performance nonwovens used in the medical, automotive, environmental protection and other fields, according to Beijing-based China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA).…

The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), a technical agency of the Organisation of American States (OAS), is playing an increasingly influential role in the Americas in terms of fighting drug-trade linked money laundering. Specifically, CICAD has a central role in the unfolding of the Hemispheric Plan of Action on Drugs 2011-2015 which was adopted by the OAS in 2011, and includes key anti-money launderingAML components.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced a series of three-year spending programmes helping meat producers from around the European Union (EU) sell their products at home and abroad. The money funds “public relations, promotional or publicity campaigns” said Brussels, with spending being augmented by matching funding sourced from industry groups and national governments.…

THE USA’s Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has warned that America’s federal ‘sequestration’ public spending cuts and more recent budget proposals from President Obama could restrict access to new effective drugs, inflating healthcare costs.

PhRMA senior vice president Matthew Bennett fears potential cuts to the Medicare Part D prescription drug subsidy system, he claims “greatly improved seniors’ access to medicines…” He argued this has depressed insurance premiums, and “achieved billions of dollars of savings on other Medicare costs by improving health”.…

IT is a long way from China, east Asia and south Asia to the key developed world markets or Europe and America. And with fashion being so dynamic, demand for a line could have dampened in the months between placing an order and receiving delivery.…

NICHOLAS Hoare, Canada’s specialist British book retailer is closing for good, after its eponymous 70-year-old founder decided to retire and move to a stately house in rural Nova Scotia, in eastern Canada.

The chain has been contracting, closing its Ottawa store last April and its Montreal branch on New Year’s Day, and finally its Toronto flagship outlet on April 1.…

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software has also undergone a profound change over recent years, dominated by three catchwords: integration, cloud computing and social design.

Integration is perhaps the most significant, short-term trend in both PLM and ERP development for the clothing and textile sector, and others.…