Search Results for: Environmental health

THE RULING council of the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) is preparing to agree major reforms to the International Cocoa Agreement, which should see the agreement increase its commitment to boost sustainability in the chocolate sector.

Council members are considering final changes committing the ICCO to ensuring that cocoa production, processing and manufacture is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.…

Last July (2020), Infracapital, the infrastructure team at UK-based investment managers M&G plc, invested EUR 110 million (USD130 million) in EnergyNest, a small Norwegian company that has developed a novel thermal battery technology. Its ThermalBattery (a trademark) batteries, consisting of a concrete-like storage material made from abundant, recyclable and non-hazardous geomaterials, store excess industrial heat until needed, enabling the transfer of industrial waste heat into electricity and renewable power in industrial heat processes.…

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.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has tightened rules on whether packs of paints and coatings integrating titanium dioxide (TiO2) can carry European Union (EU) eco labels. The EU executive has ruled that from October 1, (2021) manufacturers can no longer use the whitener in EU Ecolabel paint and varnish products, when TiO2 concentrations exceed 0.010% by weight.…

INTERPOL has issued a global alert warning governments and health officials of fraud schemes run by organised crime groups offering fake COVID-19 vaccines.

The international law enforcement agency acted after reports of 60 cases in 40 countries where health officials received fraudulent offers for vaccines.…

INTRODUCTION

In a global textile and clothing market that is increasingly integrating design with functionality, the potential of luminescent yarns is becoming ever more apparent. The focus of groundbreaking research and development, there is widening diversity in this segment from luminescent coatings on yarns to those that integrate LEDs (light-emitting diodes).…

AFRICA’s clothing and textile sector has been hit hard by Covid-19, with an emerging production industry being hit by falls in demand and disruption in supply chains. India-based market researchers Mordor Intelligence concluded in a report assessing the African industry’s prospects for 2021-5 that “disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic on global value chains and its impact on African businesses is already evident.”…

A wait and see approach is being adopted by officials in Haiti’s apparel and textile industry following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which came as the country struggled to cope with the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.…

More than two decades have passed since the first 3D body scanners were developed for the apparel industry, but technologists and designers continue to find new ways to hone the systems in response to rising demand among brands and manufacturers for direct-to-consumer sales.…

EUROPEAN energy experts say the European Union (EU)’s green energy targets within a new climate law to cut carbon emissions at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels will be challenging but achievable. It is a significant steepening of ambition compared to the EU’s existing legislation, reducing emissions by at least 32.5% by 2030 from 1990 levels.…