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This southeast Asian powerhouse economy is projected to grow GDP by 3.9% in 2023, up from 2.6% last year due to stronger-than-expected export demand from China, Europe, and the United States, according to the World Bank (1). 

Thailand’s ministry of commerce has maintained a targeted year-on-year growth for exports this year of 1%-2%, after a 5.5% gain in 2022 (2).…

China’s sportswear brands have witnessed significant growth in sales during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially on domestic markets where consumers have embraced athleisure trends. Prominent examples include Beijing-based Li-Ning and Jinjiang-based Anta, which reported Chinese Yuan Renminbi-denominated sales growth of 14.3% (1) and 15.5% (2) respectively in 2022.…

Ukraine’s automotive assembly, parts and sales sectors are continuing to operate, despite the ongoing Russian invasion, which as of June 19 killed 9,083 civilians (UN figures) and crippled Ukrainian manufacturing.  

The country was once an automotive powerhouse within the Soviet Union, producing large volumes of ZAZ and LAZ vehicles.…

The European Commission has released a comprehensive strategy for injecting more sustainability into the European Union (EU) textile sector, with short- and medium-term tracked policies and reforms highlighted (1).

While its ‘Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem’ does not lay down a tight timetable for action, it does enable these to be set, building on the ‘EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles’ released in March 2022 (2).…

National and international academics warned Guinea-Bissau that the expansion of its higher education must not sacrifice quality and relevance, so academics and students are better able to meet the needs of one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries.

Guinea-Bissau is “one of the most coup-prone and politically unstable countries in the world”, according to the World Bank, which noted it had USD2,200 gross domestic income per head in 2022.…

The establishment of Study in Greece (SiG) as a national agency supported by Greek state is the latest step in an ongoing process to unlock a world of educational possibilities and deepen international collaboration to revitalise higher education in the country.…

Consumers in the rich east Asian markets of Japan and South Korea are increasingly keen on heated tobacco and vape products, although regulatory hurdles are restricting sales growth.

E-cigarettes that contain nicotine have long been prohibited under Japan’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Act in 2010 (1), although products without nicotine are proving popular with young adults, aged up to 29, according to a study by the Osaka International Cancer Institute (2) published in 2022.…

The European Union (EU) today (June 21) struck political agreement on its 11th set of sanctions against Russia, that will – crucially – include new powers to block flows of goods to third countries, suspected of being rerouted to Russia.

Sweden, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, Tweeted: “Today, the EU Ambassadors agreed on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia.…

Increased automation in label production will result in increased efficiencies, especially for major food and beverage companies, industry experts have told Packaging Gateway. “We see automation making real progress in the labels market and expect to see investments in the technology growing,” said Simon Mitchell, head of the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) Labels Special Interest Group.…

High energy and raw material prices and wage inflation have been pushing packaging sector converters to reduce waste, and hence costs, with the added benefit of helping the industry meet growing sustainability requirements from regulators and consumers.

Sensing a market opportunity, many packaging converters were already targeting sustainability, developing innovative packaging materials and designs to cut packaging weight and promote re-use and recycling.…