This week’s stories cover initiatives for the forestry sector and mining in the USA, as well as new installations in Canada and India, demand for non-woven fabrics and technical aspects of In-Mold Labelling.

Print Business in the UK has written about the European Union’s plans to introduce a new qualification to identify sustainable forestry as part of a new EU Forest Strategy paper, and the resistance to the first draft of this from forestry associations, including CEPI, which represents Europe’s papermakers.

Labels and Labelling reports that Mondi has signed a three year partnership with the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) to identify science-based viable responses to climate-related threats to forests and forest-based industries, noting that the United Nations has identified the forestry sector’s importance in tackling climate change.

The American magazine Ink World has a story on Chemours breaking ground on a new mining facility in Florida, which uses new mining techniques to minimise the environmental impact, while extracting titanium and zircon minerals used to produce its Ti-Pure brand of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) used in some inks.

Print Action in Canada reports that Simpson Print, a full-service provider based in Bloomingdale in Ontario, has installed its third SwissQprint Nyala flatbed printer in anticipation of increased demand from the retail market once the pandemic is over, noting that the retail sector is a major part of the company’s business.

Indian Printer and Publisher has the story of Kataria Enterprises, a printer based in Mumbai, which ordered an ImagePress C810 production press from Canon India last year but had to cancel due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. However, with work picking up, the company was able to install the more advanced C910 model this year.

From South Africa, the Gapp magazine writes that Ricoh South Africa has appointed Shaune Bouwer as its new Commercial Director, and Len de Goede, as Sales Manager for Enterprise Sales, to take advantage of the growth of digital office printing technology in the region and demand for more digital services.

Meanwhile, Africa Print reports that Grafisk Maskinfabrik has selected Beswick Machinery as its new agent for the Southern African market to sell its range of label and flexible packaging solutions. Beswick has 40 years experience and a service team of 10 people and is investing in factory training.

From Australia, Image Magazine reports that Visual Art, a Swedish company specialising in digital signage, has signed a deal with 7-Eleven Australia to upgrade 2500 communication channels in stores across the country. Visual Art is already working with 7-Eleven in both Sweden and Denmark but this is a separate arrangement.

Elsewhere, Print 21 points out that small and medium-sized printing and packaging businesses that have been affected by the ongoing lockdown in Sydney can claim tax-free government support of up to AUS $10,000 per week, with further help also available from the NSW state government.

ME printer, based in the UAE, covers a report from IndexBox on the market for Non-Woven fabrics, which found that demand for these materials rose during the pandemic due to increased demand for face masks and medical textiles, with China being the major supplier, followed by Germany.

Finally, the Italian magazine Converter has an interview with Andre Soterio and Frank Kamphuis of Actega, who discuss the technical aspects of in-mold labelling, or IML, which accounts for roughly 2 percent of the global label market. Together they cover the different types of coatings, and the differences between UV and water-based coatings.