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Asia – the world’s textile and clothing workshop – is at the heart of many of the industry’s sustainability initiatives. The reason is that brands simply cannot afford not to care – their reputation can be seriously damaged if a supplier is responsible for a pollution spill or industrial accident.…

IN the past year, several developments – both new and built on previous initiatives – have emerged, suggesting the apparel and textile industry is continuing to move towards a more sustainable supply chain.

A key move was the publication of Version 4.0, of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), released by the GOTS International Working Group, in March (2014).…

Big data is creating a growing range of opportunities that can help the global pharmaceutical industry develop and manufacture drugs more effectively. However, the industry faces a number of challenges in the way it manages and analyses the increasingly broad range of data that is available, with collaboration essential for the industry to capitalise on the potential of the big data explosion.…

THE EUROPEAN Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has called on the European Commission to propose comprehensive and detailed reforms to the European Union’s (EU) paediatric medicines regulation.

In comments to a Brussels plan to revise guidance on applications for paediatric investigation plans, EFPIA said it was disappointed with the proposals.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has abandoned reforms simplifying complex European Union (EU) legislation on veterinary checks for livestock plus registering and identifying sheep and goats.

Brussels officials had wanted amendments to these laws rolled into two pieces of legislation, but the Commission failed to get backing from the EU Council of Ministers.…

IN 2012, after years of delays, Brazil instated a new money laundering law, finally bringing this economically vibrant and influential country more or less in line with international standards.  Two years later, what difference has it actually made?    

Brazil’s first official money laundering law (Law 9613) was enacted in 1998.…

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.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has again updated the European Union’s (EU) rules on biocidal products, trying to smooth the implementation of the new EU biocidal products regulation. Only one month after announcing a swath of clarifications, ECHA has now confirmed that a new European Commission regulation has come into force (on June 4) on the renewal of biocide authorisations granted through “mutual recognition”.…

A European Commission report assessing the implementation of the European Commission’s 2013 steel industry action plan has claimed a “moderate recovery” in Europe’s steel sector is now under way.

It predicts that 2014 and 2015 will see a “gradual and rather cautious recovery of real steel consumption in the EU [European Union]…with activity in the key steel using sectors gaining traction” after two years of disappointing performances.…

The Indian steel industry has welcomed the initial steps taken by the new government to boost domestic manufacturing by expediting statutory clearances for new projects; removing hindrances to raw material supplies; and promising more clarity in future decision making.

“The government is giving us hope that lot of projects which have been held up due to environmental regulations are [already] being cleared,” said Sushim Banerjee, director general Institute for Steel Development & Growth, in Kolkata. …