News roundup: weaker EU car CO2 targets, bioplastics, and more

Bioplastic packaging tackles recyclability and reuse challenges across industries

Source: Packaging Insights

Sustainability in healthcare packaging: the journey from yesterday to tomorrow

Source: PharmTech

Sustainability in healthcare packaging has undergone a significant evolution over the past two decades. Historically, product protection, patient safety, regulatory compliance, manufacturing reliability, and cost-effectiveness predominantly drove packaging development. Today, environmental responsibility has become an increasingly important consideration, influencing material selection, packaging design, manufacturing processes, and supply-chain strategies.

Taiwan’s tea revival blends ancient terraces with new climate adaptations

Source: Mongabay

Taiwan’s Shenkeng region was once a major tea-producing center, but industrialization and urbanization hollowed out the industry by the 1970s, allowing abandoned tea terraces to return to forest. A government-backed effort is now restoring tea production and its cultural heritage, using the region’s historic stone terraces alongside drip irrigation, soil sensors, and more resilient tea varieties.

EU lawmakers reach deal to weaken car CO2 targets

Source: Reuters

European ​Union lawmakers have agreed to weaken proposed EU car emissions targets for 2035, ‌allowing automakers to make up some of the expected shortfall by using low-carbon EU steel, according to a text of the agreement seen by Reuters.

It will take more than data to improve traceability in the cotton supply chain

Source: AgFunderNews

Traceability in the cotton supply chain breaks down the closer one gets to the actual cotton, according to a new study released this month by global research collective the Cotton Diaries. Addressing this gap is critical if brands are going to successfully “address environmental and societal challenges rather than simply document them.”

If regenerative agriculture is the goal, the whole value chain needs to change

Source: AfricanFarming

The transition from conventional to regenerative agriculture is, at its core, a business decision. It requires different equipment and inputs, new skills and changes to established farming practices. In some cases, yields may come under pressure before the benefits of healthier soils, lower input costs and greater resilience begin to show.