Climate change and environmental degradation threaten the world. In response, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. Fossil fuels will be replaced by renewable energy – with batteries providing a vital storage tool.
The active involvement of senior management in health and safety is very important. Managers need to be seen to lead by example,’ according to HSG 48, the UK regulator of health and safety. Put simply, senior managers have a tangible effect on the success or failure of safety initiatives.
While the primary healthcare focus in the US remains the Covid-19 pandemic, as we move through the third year of its disruptive effects and the death toll approaches 1m, other important dynamics are playing out.
M&A activity in the chemicals sector has been declining since 2019, with a 29% decrease in deals value from the $333bn recorded in 2019 to the $236bn in 2021. The transaction size has also decreased sharply with less ‘mega-deals’ available. In 2019, 21% of recorded deals topped $10bn, compared with only 3% in 2021.
The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in April 2022 focused on climate change mitigation. It emphasised that current global mitigation pledges are not enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C. In the last decade we have experienced the highest decadal increase in greenhouse gas emissions in human history.
Innovators should consider whether trade secret protection is a more appropriate method for protecting their sustainable process technology compared with patents. Read the comment by Maeve O’Flynn, partner, London office of Finnegan Europe LLP.
High-performance fillers can change material properties, such as improving strength and stiffness, but also, for example, make packaging films easier to remove, increase the thermal conductivity of adhesives, regulate the temperature of acrylic glass sheets or store light in colours and release it again in the dark.
There is a common misperception that the Foundation Industries, which produce metals, chemicals, cement, ceramics, paper and glass, have changed little since the Industrial Revolution. They are often thought to still be manufacturing commodity products using ‘old’ technology. The reality is that an ever-growing demand to produce more of these materials, at lower cost, has driven considerable innovation over recent decades.
In an ever more competitive marketplace, makers of decorative paints often rely on unique selling points to make their products stand out. Some companies, however, may be misleading consumers with unsubstantiated green claims about their paints. A recent international analysis of websites conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that 40% of green claims made online could be misleading.
The events in Ukraine are devastating beyond what I can even start to comprehend or describe. My heart goes out to all those involved. What probably hasn’t been appreciated, however, is the impact this war will have on drug discovery.