Thailand’s newly announced ban on plastic waste imports is a monumental victory for the health of the country’s people and environment. The South-East Asian country is one of several in the region to accept and process plastic waste from other nations. However, history has shown that such bans, while necessary, often displace the problem rather […]
In another major win for Myanmar’s forests, a penalty order of €150,000 has been issued against a Dutch firm for using illicit Myanmar teak on Jeff Bezos’ superyacht Koru. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie OM) has confirmed it reached a settlement agreement with a “Dutch yacht builder” — named as Oceanco by Dutch newspaper […]
In a landmark case in the UK courts, a luxury yacht firm has been handed stiff penalties for using ‘blood’ teak imported from Myanmar on some of the vessels it builds. Sunseeker International Ltd – self-styled as “the world’s leading brand for luxury motor yachts” – is based in Poole, Dorset. Sitting at Bournemouth Crown […]
The global plastic waste trade is an environmental disaster hiding in plain sight, EIA’s latest report concludes. Undermined by exploitable loopholes and weak enforcement, the plastic waste trade fuels organised crime, drives working conditions that amount to human rights violations and is devastating to the environment and human health. In the second instalment of its […]
The Government of China has made a commitment (Chinese) to supporting the development of substitutes for endangered wildlife used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The announcement by the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA) is an encouraging step towards ending the use of threatened wildlife in TCM and represents tangible progress following a proposal […]
The world’s pressing climate targets are being jeopardised by huge rogue emissions of a potent greenhouse gas. HFC-23 emissions reached a record high of 17,300 tonnes in 2019, equivalent to more than a quarter of a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. The climate super-pollutant is produced and emitted primarily as an unwanted byproduct of manufacturing […]