Search Results for: Environmental health

The Thailand paint and coatings sector is expanding faster than general economic growth in Thailand, expanding sales as the country transitions from military-dominated to democratic rule.

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).…

SOUTH Asian clothing, textile and footwear manufacturers are innovating to utilise a common natural input, plentiful in their local sub-tropical and tropical climates – banana fibre. Growth is particularly marked in Bangladesh. Textile factories have started developing the fibre, blending them with cotton to make apparel, sending samples and receiving enquiries from European customers.…

Major non-sugar sweetener aspartame has been classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) joint expert committee on food additives (JECFA).…

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.…

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.…

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.…

Tightening de-forestation regulations in major oils and fats markets are having an increasing impact on palm oil producers, who say they are being targeted unfairly.

The European Union (EU)’s deforestation-free regulation (EUDR) (1) that entered into force June 29 (2023), and will become binding from December 30, 2024, will lead to higher prices and supply difficulties for palm oil importers, EU and supplier country experts argue.  …

The European textile industry is well positioned to lead the global sector towards a more sustainable future, this year’s ITMA 2023 international conference has been told. Alberto Paccanelli, president of Euratex, which represents over 143,000 companies in the European Union (EU) textile and clothing industry, told Just Style at the Milan (June 8-14) event that the European Commission’s Textiles Ecosystem Transition Pathway (1), released June 6, implementing the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, could have a positive impact.…

The Portuguese canned food sector, internationally known for its canned fish lines, is thriving – thanks to tourism and innovation, despite the many supply chains issues that it still faces.

Statistics Portugal (Instituto Nacional de Estatística – INE) data suggests the sector is growing fast, with Portugal having exported EUR 305.3 million’s worth of canned fish products in 2022 (provisional data), 20.3% more than in 2020.…