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Transparency International (TI) has warned that “conflict creates opportunities for corruption and subverts governments’ efforts to stop it” when unveiling its 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) on January 31, scoring 180 countries worldwide on perceived levels of public sector corruption from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) with the average 43.…

Researchers at the University of Sherbrooke, in Québec, supported by CMC Microsystems, are helping build sensors to detect ‘dark matter’ – the unknown substance that scientists think makes up about 27% of the universe. That, combined with the equally undetectable dark energy (68% of the universe says physics research centre CERN), can be inferred by its gravitational pull on stars and planets.…

Demand for US tobacco leaf is projected to remain robust, despite increased reluctance to use smoked products (worsened by concerns about respiratory disease prompted by Covid-19) and the ongoing China–US trade war launched by former US President Donald Trump.

Tobacco leaf was one of the Chinese export products hit by punitive US import duties of 25% imposed during 2019, with China responding in kind with additional 10% and 25% duties levied on US exports of tobacco leaf to China.…

Paradigm shifting technology involving collaboration between different scientific disciplines looks set to strengthen the impact of medical adhesives on clinical care as unhealthy lifestyles fuel increasingly diverse interventions, according to researchers and industry observers.

With sustainability “a front and centre priority”, said Paul Saunders, senior manager, global marketing, for Avery Dennison, a Los Angeles, USA-based material science company, issues such as bone reconstruction, wound management, haemorrhage prevention and drug dispensing devices are all being enhanced, with adhesives development a key element.…

Traceable pigments are increasingly being used as a favoured trackable method to help textile and garment companies prove that cellulosic fibres utilised in fabric and final products have been made according to high social and environmental sustainability standards. With regulation, non-financial reporting and green consumer demand pushing the industry towards using fabrics that are demonstrably sustainable, cellulosic fibres derived from wood pulp and other woody plants such as bamboo, have become more attractive as inputs.…

While some commentators say the textile and clothing industry’s automation level remains low with investment being too sluggish and unambitious, others predict a bright future where robots and humans collaborate in sustainable customised design and manufacturing. 

The clothing segment of the sector has, of course, been historically labour-intensive – with associated high costs – with manufacturers hesitant to adopt greater automation, given the availability of low-cost labour in cheap outsourcing centres.  …

The newest data released by the German Paint and Printing Ink Association (VdL) shows the fortunes of the German coatings sector were, in 2021, closely tied to the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing price of raw materials globally – causing weak short-term growth and an anticipated contraction in 2023.…

The unanimous approval of a European Union (EU) directive (1) by the EU Council of Ministers on December 12, that will write pillar 2 of the OECD’s BEPS model (2) into European law – will force accountants to reassess the tax liability of their largest clients.…

A majority of African grown cotton is exported, but initiatives are underway in certain countries to bolster upstream textile yarn spinning and fabric production as part of efforts to develop the overall supply chain.

“Cotton production is expected to go up in the continent this year, by around 30% compared to 2020 and 2021.…

The manufacture of technical textiles is in its nascency across North Africa, even more so in sub-Saharan Africa, with the continent having long been considered a low-cost, cut-and-sew destination rather than a production hub for value-added items. But due to the trend by European and US brands for near-shoring and diversification away from east Asian production, and the ambitions of certain African countries to develop a full manufacturing chain, the potential for making technical textiles in Africa is gradually emerging.…