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PFAS: a turning point in Europe as ECHA opens public consultation

PFAS: a turning point in Europe as ECHA opens public consultation

This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water Brussels – On 26 March 2026, the European C...

US-EU tariffs: agreement reached, but the risk of energy dependence remains

US-EU tariffs: agreement reached, but the risk of energy dependence remains

From Brussels – On 26 March, the European Parliament endorsed its position on two legislative proposals giving effect to the tariff aspects of the EU-US agreement signed in July 2025. The text...

EU Council: the ETS stands firm, but the way is open for changes

EU Council: the ETS stands firm, but the way is open for changes

The European Council was adjourned during the night of 19–20 March after a much broader debate than anticipated. What was supposed to be a summit on reviving competitiveness instead turned int...

Nextchem expands textile portfolio with new spandex technology

Nextchem expands textile portfolio with new spandex technology

The Italian engineering group Maire has announced a strategic expansion in the sustainable textile sector through its subsidiary Nextchem. The company introduced NX Conser PolyFlexTM, a new technolo...

Apple Wins US Greenwashing Case Over “Carbon Neutral” Claims

Apple Wins US Greenwashing Case Over “Carbon Neutral” Claims

Apple has prevailed in a major greenwashing lawsuit in the United States concerning its “carbon neutral” marketing claims for certain Apple Watch models. On 20 February, U.S. Distri...

China's five-year plan sets lower growth targets and reduces climate ambitions

China's five-year plan sets lower growth targets and reduces climate ambitions

On 4 and 5 March, Beijing has begun the Two Sessions, or Lianghui (两会), the key event in the Chinese political calendar, eagerly awaited this year for the official unveiling of the 15th Five-Yea...

EVision 2026: electrifying corporate fleets cuts costs and emissions

EVision 2026: electrifying corporate fleets cuts costs and emissions

From Brussels - As Europe revisits parts of its electrification transition for private cars, another segment risks slipping into the background: corporate fleets. Yet this is precisely whe...

Industrial Accelerator Act: the EU Commission launches the “Made in Europe” plan

Industrial Accelerator Act: the EU Commission launches the “Made in Europe” plan

From Brussels – Today, Wednesday 4 March, the European Commission unveiled the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), one of the pillars of the new Clean Industrial Deal, designed to strengthe...

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz also threatens the fertiliser supply chain

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz also threatens the fertiliser supply chain

Since Saturday, 28 February, three oil tankers have been bombed, a crew member aboard a Marshall Islands–flagged cargo vessel has been killed, and around two hundred merchant ships have been l...

US-Israel strikes kill Khamenei: what is happening in Iran

US-Israel strikes kill Khamenei: what is happening in Iran

The Middle East entered a new and destabilizing phase on Saturday morning, 1 March, when Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in his office during the Israeli-US...

India embraces AI and joins the US's Pax Silica

India embraces AI and joins the US's Pax Silica

A human-centred approach, worldwide cooperation, and wider access to artificial intelligence technologies. The AI Impact Summit 2026 – the fourth, held this year in New Delhi from 16 to 2...

Waste Water Directive and EPR: appeals by pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries rejected

Waste Water Directive and EPR: appeals by pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries rejected

The Court of Justice of the European Union has declared inadmissible a set of appeals filed by companies and associations in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors against the extended producer re...

Ferragamo Enters S&P Sustainability Yearbook 2026

Ferragamo Enters S&P Sustainability Yearbook 2026

Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. has been included for the first time in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2026, following its performance in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). The co...

Trump revokes scientific ruling on greenhouse gas emissions

Trump revokes scientific ruling on greenhouse gas emissions

"Today, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. Without it, we’ll be less safe, ...

PFAS: inaction will cost the EU €440 billion by 2050

PFAS: inaction will cost the EU €440 billion by 2050

Four hundred and forty billion euros. That is the cost that European society risks incurring by 2050 if the current levels of contamination from PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”, ...

China, a five-year plan for space

China, a five-year plan for space

In a video released in November by the CGTN network, five taikonauts (from taikong: space in Chinese) are seen roasting chicken wings on board a space station. “This is the first time in ...

A new index to promote equity in maritime activities

A new index to promote equity in maritime activities

According to UN Trade & Development, between 1995 and 2020, the economic sector associated to maritime activities grew 2.5 times, twice as fast as the global economy. In 2023, the maritime ...

Italy’s Power Demand Stalls as Solar Hits Record High

Italy’s Power Demand Stalls as Solar Hits Record High

Italy’s electricity consumption reached 311.3 TWh in 2025, remaining essentially unchanged compared to 2024, according to data released by Terna, the national transmission grid operator led by...

IPBES 2026 Report: business-as-usual is eroding biodiversity, but companies can benefit from saving it

IPBES 2026 Report: business-as-usual is eroding biodiversity, but companies can benefit from saving it

When he first began working on these topics, Matt Jones liked to pose a challenge: name a business activity that does not, in some way, depend on biodiversity. “No one has ever managed to prov...

Sustainability and Territory: the special project of the Autonomous Province of Trento kicks off

Sustainability and Territory: the special project of the Autonomous Province of Trento kicks off

The year 2026 will be pivotal for the Autonomous Province of Trento's Special Strategic and Integrated Marketing Project, coordinated by Trentino Sviluppo's ESG & Sustainability Area. After...