The U.S. Food and Drug Administration remains firm in its guidance that titanium dioxide can be used as a food additive despite the European Commission’s decision to ban its use in 2022. In the past year, however, several U.S. state legislatures have introduced bills that would ban the use of TiO2 in food, as well as several other additives.
Read MoreIn response to global supply chain disruptions, many governments are implementing new programs to ensure continued and secure access to critical resources. Learn about some recent programs that were announced in the past few months.
Read MoreAs the health effects of chemical flame retardants became more well known, the use of fiberglass as a flame-retardant material grew in popularity. However, fiberglass comes with its own share of adverse health effects, and the U.S. state of California has now enacted a ban on its use as a flame retardant in mattresses and upholstered furniture.
Read MoreThe mining and minerals processing industries are economically significant sectors for the Australian island state of Tasmania. But as companies apply for more and more exploratory licenses to identify new minerals deposits, landowners in the state are concerned about the environmental impacts.
Read MoreDespite the recorded benefits of co-locating solar panels and crops, the erroneous belief that photovoltaics and agriculture are an either/or situation remains a common perspective in governing bodies around the world. In the past month, two media announcements out of the Netherlands reveal how a proposed ban on solar deployments on agricultural land could severely hamper the country’s budding agrivoltaic industry.
Read MoreOver the past few years, the Scotland government has worked to develop a deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates for drink containers in the country. However, implementation of the scheme has been delayed due to pushback from retailers and drinks companies. A recent decision by the U.K. government excluding glass from the scheme has now pushed back the launch date to October 2025.
Read MoreAfter a series of delays, the United Kingdom finally announced its strategy, as well as a new Japanese partnership, for supporting the semiconductor industry. Details of these plans—as well as industry response so far—are given in today’s CTT.
Read MoreTraditionally, Australia has lagged far behind other developed countries in electric vehicle adoption. The government has now released a National Electric Vehicle Strategy to speed up adoption and support the transition to clean transportation.
Read MoreThe global submarine cable system carries about 95% of all global transnational communication data. In recent years, concerns that this network may be used to conduct espionage is driving a clash between China and the United States over which companies will secure contracts to lay strategic cable networks.
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