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Europe
BBC Business

Is it time to stop using glue and labels on paper?

While paper or cardboard packaging might on its own be recyclable, the presence of a label, a seal or a coating can negate that. That's because non-recyclable adhesives, or "stickies" as they are known as in the industry, can cause damage to recycling machinery, make the resulting batch of recycled paper inferior, or even cause a batch of paper to be recycled to be rejected, according to scientists, external at NC State University. And that's a shame as paper is one of the most recycled materials in Europe - with around 74% of paper and board consumed in 2024 being recycled. In August, a new Europe-wide packaging, external and packaging waste regulation (PPWR) kicks in ordering that all packaging should be minimum 70% recyclable by 2030, rising to 80% from 2038. In addition, German law will also, external require stricter reporting and licensing fees. So, tackling stickies would be helpful. One solution has been to develop water soluble adhesives, external. That's the idea that three firms from Germany - Fraunhofer, Hermann Ultraschall, and Henkel - have come up with. It's no coincidence they are all German, as the country is known for its Packaging Valley, external, a hub for the packaging industry. Their efforts to innovate are partly a bid to satisfy ever tightening regulation around commercial recycling, and rising fines for those who fall foul. With that in mind, German research organisation Fraunhofer established the PAPURE project in 2023 to develop a laser-based heating process that can seal paper packaging without an adhesive at all. From September, when the project is set to officially close, Fraunhofer hopes to find an industry partner to take the technology to market. Fraunhofer researchers exhibited their work at the Interpack packaging trade show in Dusseldorf in May, and are hopeful that the interest they attracted will come to fruition. "There are not really many paper sealing technologies without any foreign materials, so it's a great technology and we feel it's likely that we can bring it to market," says researcher group leader Fabian Kayatz. Also in 2023, engineering firm Hermann Ultraschall bought the rights to develop a patented ultrasonic paper sealing technology, a process which it likens to welding.

Is it time to stop using glue and labels on paper?
North America
CNBC Finance

Ford wants more customers to customize vehicles to boost profits as it eyes 'Nike shoe drop' moments

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Ford Motor is expanding its accessory and parts business in an effort to boost profits and better tap into the $53 billion U.S. aftermarket industry. The automaker is planning to increase its aftermarket products — from exterior detailing and vehicle wraps to performance parts and systems — and have more exclusive moments it's comparing to a "Nike shoe drop," with new and special-edition vehicle models, according to Matt Simpson, Ford Customization's executive director. "Think like a 'Nike dropping a sneaker' is the vision," Simpson told CNBC during an event at the Michigan International Speedway racetrack here promoting the company's efforts. "We're significantly increasing our investment in this group to bring more choice and to engage customers in this aftersales." Automakers have long used special-edition vehicles and souped-up models to boost vehicle prices and profits, but Ford says it is methodically taking steps to increase customers' ability to customize vehicles across all price levels. That includes expanding accessories as well as investing additional resources in Ford Custom Garage, which launched last year as a one-stop shop for customizations from the carmaker. Ford Custom Garage's first shoe-like "vehicle drop" occurred Monday. It unveiled a sunrise-inspired Ford Bronco SUV that wouldn't be out of place in a new Barbie movie — although the company's designers say they did not have the Mattel toy in mind when developing the vehicle. The automaker said it will produce 1,000 of the limited-edition Broncos with the Desert Rising package as part of the Ford Custom Garage's new Bronco Horizon Series. The $13,695 package boosts the vehicle's price to $57,350. Other full packages through the Ford Custom Garage start at thousands of dollars and can run up to $16,000 to $18,000 for some Mustang performance packages and nearly $27,000 for a special performance version of the F-150 pickup truck. "It is a growth lever for us. It's been a good business for us. We think it can be significantly bigger, hence the investment," Simpson said. The efforts come as vehicles have grown increasingly more complex and harder for individual owners or non-automaker certified stores to work on in the aftermarket. CEO Jim Farley came under fire last month after President Donald Trump said Ford and crosstown rival General Motors were supporting legislation to make it harder to keep owners from working on their own vehicles. Farley later clarified that he thinks customers shouldn't work on cars under warranty since new vehicles require specialty tools. He has touted the automaker's aftermarket business as a major growth opportunity, including by boosting software services in addition to traditional parts and accessories.

Ford wants more customers to customize vehicles to boost profits as it eyes 'Nike shoe drop' moments
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Sensex today | Stock Market Live: Sensex jumps over 580 points, Nifty nears 23,950 on global rally and softer crude

Sensex Today, Nifty 50 | Stock Market Live Updates - Find here all the live updates related to Sensex, Nifty, BSE, NSE, share prices and Indian stock markets for 27th July 2026. Indian equities began the week on a strong note, buoyed by a global market rally and softer crude oil prices following the US and Iran’s decision to pause military strikes. However, analysts expect volatility to remain elevated amid Tuesday’s monthly F&O expiry, persistent FII short positions and lingering geopolitical uncertainty. Benchmark indices opened on a firm note, with the Sensex climbing 584.05 points, or 0.77%, to 76,643.82 at 9.16 a.m. after opening at 76,608.98 against the previous close of 76,059.77. The Nifty 50 advanced 154.75 points, or 0.65%, to 23,922.20. Derivatives data suggest a cautious market, with India VIX rising to 14.03 and the technical setup continuing to favour a sell-on-rise strategy. Analysts see immediate support around the 23,700 level, while a break below 23,650 could trigger further downside. A decisive close above 24,000–24,130 is needed to improve the near-term outlook Investors will closely monitor crude oil prices, developments in the US-Iran conflict, foreign portfolio investor flows and the Q1 FY27 earnings season for direction. Defensive sectors such as FMCG continue to attract institutional buying, while broader mid-cap stocks remain under pressure. * Opening cue: Gift Nifty at around 23,950 indicates a mildly positive start, supported by easing crude oil prices and improved global sentiment following the US-Iran pause in hostilities. * Immediate resistance: 24,000-24,130 remains the key hurdle. A decisive close above this zone could revive bullish momentum and open the way towards 24,250-24,400. * Key support: 23,700 is the immediate support, with stronger support at 23,650. A break below 23,650 could trigger a deeper correction towards 23,515-23,325. * Derivatives view: FIIs continue to hold sizeable index short positions, while elevated India VIX (14.03) and monthly F&O expiry on Tuesday point to heightened volatility. Short covering is yet to emerge. * Market strategy: Analysts continue to favour a sell-on-rise approach until Nifty decisively reclaims the 24,000-24,130 zone. Stock-specific opportunities are likely to dominate amid the Q1 earnings season.

Sensex today | Stock Market Live: Sensex jumps over 580 points, Nifty nears 23,950 on global rally and softer crude
Europe
BBC Business

Johnson & Johnson offers up to $5.5bn to settle baby powder lawsuits

Image source, Getty ImagesByOsmond ChiaBusiness reporterPublished28 July 2026, 02:24 BSTUpdated 2 hours agoJohnson & Johnson (J&J) has offered to pay as much as $5.5bn (£4.14bn) to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits in the US alleging that its baby powder and other products containing talcum cause ovarian cancer. The proposed landmark settlement aims to close a long-running legal battle that has weighed on the New Jersey-based healthcare giant for years. J&J has denied that its talc-based products caused cancer and has changed the formula of its widely used baby powder. Erik Haas, the firm's vice president of litigation said on Monday, external that the allegations are "meritless" and that J&J was willing to settle in order to finally resolve the matter. J&J said the settlement would cover about 69,000 cases, totalling most of the remaining talc-related claims. The firm will offer up to $3bn next year, with no additional payments due before 2028, it said. The proposal must be accepted by legal firms representing 95% of the ovarian cancer claims in state and federal courts before it can be finalised, the J&J said. Haas said in a statement that the company is confident that it would have "ultimately prevailed with further litigation" just as it has in the majority of cases heard in court to date. He added that the proposed resolution "allows the company to put this matter behind it" and enable J&J to "remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives". J&J's former consumer health business, Kenvue, holds liability for Johnson's baby powder outside North America. Kenvue - which owns well-known brands including Band-Aid, Listerine, and Calpol - was spun off from J&J in 2022. Earlier in July, a federal court handed the firm a victory by questioning individual plaintiffs' ability to show that talc was the direct cause of their ovarian cancer. Talc is a natural mineral made of magnesium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen, known for its soapy feel and is often used in baby powder.

Johnson & Johnson offers up to $5.5bn to settle baby powder lawsuits
Europe
BBC Business

Cracker Barrel chief executive steps down a year after rebrand chaos

Image source, Getty ImagesByFrancisco VelasquezBusiness reporter, Reporting fromNew YorkPublished27 July 2026Cracker Barrel's chief executive is quitting a year after the company faced a widespread backlash over its controversial rebrand. The restaurant chain said on Monday Julie Masino will leave in August, with the former boss of Bloomin' Brands, David Deno, taking over. Its rebrand sparked a national controversy, with critics including President Trump, who urged the chain to restore its original logo after critics accused it of abandoning its heritage. Masino did not issue a statement about her resignation, but Cracker Barrel's management thanked her for her tenure. Masino will be paid an estimated $4.6m as part of a departure package, according to the company's 8-K filing, external. Cracker Barrel declined to comment, referring the BBC instead to the filing. The leadership change comes after a turbulent period for the business, which runs nearly 660 country-themed store and restaurants sites across 44 US states. Plans to simplify the classic logo and modernise store interiors sparked fierce resistance from loyal diners who argued the changes stripped away the brand's nostalgic Southern charm. It follows a similar uproar in 2022 when Cracker Barrel faced online backlash from some customers after adding plant-based sausages to its breakfast menu. Such controversies highlight the delicate balance facing brands hoping to attract younger audiences without alienating their core, longstanding customer base. Critics described the latest rebrand as "soulless" and "generic". Jo-Ellen Pozner, an associate professor at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, said the leadership swap "seems to reflect the polarization many Americans feel today". She added that doubling down on conservative values may help win back vocal loyalists but "paints the company into a corner". "Changing anything about the menu, decor, or branding at this point is dangerous, so there are few levers to attract new customers," Pozner said.

Cracker Barrel chief executive steps down a year after rebrand chaos
Europe
The Guardian

Cracker Barrel CEO to step down after overseeing logo backlash last year

Julie Felss Masino, president and CEO of Cracker Barrel, speaks during 13D Monitor’s Active-Passive Investor Summit in New York City on 21 October 2025. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersView image in fullscreenJulie Felss Masino, president and CEO of Cracker Barrel, speaks during 13D Monitor’s Active-Passive Investor Summit in New York City on 21 October 2025. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersBusinessCracker Barrel CEO to step down after overseeing logo backlash last yearJulie Masino faced criticism as restaurant chain was called ‘woke’ and ‘soulless’ after unveiling modernized logo Cracker Barrel’s CEO, Julie Masino, is stepping down, the restaurant announced on Monday, nearly a year after the company was swept into a political maelstrom over proposed modernizations to its branding. Critics on social media denounced the Tennessee-based rustic restaurant chain as “woke” as well as “sterile and soulless” after it unveiled an updated logo that removed Uncle Herschel, the overall-clad man leaning against a barrel in the restaurant’s original logo, last August. Donald Trump weighed in on the updates soon after, posting: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?!” and demanding on social media that the company “admit a mistake”. The company announced that it would revert back to its old logo soon after the social media reaction exploded. Masino, who has served as the chain’s CEO since 2023, told the rightwing commentator Glenn Beck in December that she felt “fired by America” after the controversy. Cracker Barrel’s stock dropped nearly 3% after the announcement of Masino’s departure. The chain’s new CEO, David Deno, will take over on 10 August, and Masino will remain until October to help with the transition. “Cracker Barrel is a truly iconic American brand, defined by its unique combination of warm country hospitality, timeless appeal, and deep connection with guests across generations,” Deno said in a statement. Masino’s departure the latest fallout from social media-fueled backlash against brands accused of appealing to certain political ideals. The Harris Poll found last year that a quarter of Americans have changed their shopping habits to align with their morals, with 50% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans responding that they stopped shopping at stores opposing their political views. Some companies have quickly felt the financial strain of these calls to action. In 2023, after Target announced a pride month collection and Bud Light aired an advertisement with a transgender influencer, both companies announced declines in sales. On the other side of the political aisle, Target was pulled as a sponsor from Minneapolis’s annual pride festival last year after it announced it was ending its diversity, equality and inclusion policies. Not all of these boycotts have been successful, though – Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey saw great success at its global box office debut, despite Elon Musk and other critics castigating the movie’s cast as part of a “woke” agenda. Cracker Barrel has had a history of discriminatory treatment against diners and staff. In 1991, the chain blocked the hiring of LGBTQ+ workers and dismissed 11 staff members, though it later backed down from that policy. In 2004, Cracker Barrel paid $8.7m to settle discrimination allegations from Black customers who said they were denied service and Black employees who said they received more “back of house” assignments compared with their white counterparts.

Cracker Barrel CEO to step down after overseeing logo backlash last year
Europe
BBC Business

Some people's chats with Claude AI found publicly available online

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Anthropic's Claude chatbot is among the most popular, rivaling ChatGPT and Gemini. Hundreds of user conversations with Anthropic's popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Claude were found to have been available to essentially anyone using Google or other web browsers. Links to the chats, some of which included personal and work information, would show up if a user of a search engine like Google used a site-specific search term. The searches showed Claude chats for which a user had decided to "share" a link had been saved by search engines like Google, leaving them accessible to the broader public. The search availability of the chat logs was removed over the weekend, but many were saved and shared widely online. A spokeswoman for Anthropic said that Claude users maintained control over if and when to share conversations they had with the chatbot. She said links to conversations were "not guessable or discoverable unless people choose to share them themselves". "When someone shares a conversation, they are making that content publicly accessible, and like other public web content, it may be archived by third-party services," the spokeswoman added. The share option within Claude tells a user that "anyone with the link" may view the contents of that link, but does not explicitly state that the link may end up in Google and search results. Users on Reddit initially discovered, external the publicly available chats, which covered more than 200 conversations with Claude across at least 25 pages of search results - some taking place just weeks ago. In the conversations, users prompted the chatbot to respond to a wide array of topics. Chat logs include a user asking Claude last year whether it wanted "to help me or do you want to help anthropic more?". The chatbot responded in part, saying "I experience something like wanting to help you".

Some people's chats with Claude AI found publicly available online
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Trump’s new tariffs are likely here to stay, and more are coming

US President Donald Trump had ​no time for lengthy tariff investigations when he returned to office last year, wanting to hammer trading partners right away to wring concessions. What followed was a chaotic start to a trade agenda ‌that was eventually upended by a stinging Supreme Court defeat this year. Now he and his team are moving into a new ​phase to build a more durable US tariff wall using more traditional and court-tested trade laws, those he had little patience for 18 months ⁠ago. His latest global tariff salvo — duties of 10 per cent or 12.5 per cent on 60 countries over allegedly weak enforcement of forced-labour bans — marks the first of numerous tariff actions to be unveiled in the months ahead. They include probes into excess industrial capacity, alleged intellectual property theft by Vietnam, and national security protections for strategic industries from semiconductors to robotics and industrial machinery. “We’re at the end of ‌the beginning of the Trump tariff agenda,” said Dan Ujczo, associate general counsel at Canadian oil producer Cenovus Energy, who specializes in US-Canada trade. “Within the next few weeks, and certainly by the end of the summer, we will see large parts of President Trump’s trade policy fully in effect.” This could ‌bring more clarity and certainty for businesses on Trump’s ultimate tariff structure, along with dread in foreign trade ministries that they may have to cough up ‌more concessions ⁠to protect access to a $3.4 trillion US import market. Trump’s new anti-forced labour duties imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, ⁠the unfair trade practices statute used against China during his first term, almost directly replace a global 10 per cent temporary tariff that expired on Friday. They cover 99.4 per cent of US imports, the US Trade Representative’s office said. This rebuilds part of Trump’s signature “Liberation Day” tariffs of 10 per cent-50 per cent on nearly every country, which the US Supreme Court struck down as illegal under an untested national emergencies law Trump used to impose them. Another part of the ​baseline tariffs is likely to be rebuilt by another Section 301 investigation ‌into excess industrial capacity, targeting 16 big trading partners, including China, the EU, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Vietnam. That ongoing probe targets industrial subsidies and other export-focused policies. Amid a wider uproar over Trump’s move, some viewed it as largely maintaining the status quo. Mark Bissell, CEO of Michigan-based vacuum maker Bissell Inc, said the newest tariffs were largely what the company anticipated and it hadn’t frontloaded inventory from China and elsewhere to try to beat them. “We continued to run the business based ‌on the belief that the tariffs would stay in the 10-15 per cent range,” Bissell said in an email to Reuters. Trump’s gamble on quick but untested ​tariffs right out of the gate did four things. It heaped added costs onto retailers and other import-dependent industries; it brought dozens of trading partners to the negotiating table, yielding concessions for lower rates; it prompted swift retaliation and tariff escalation from China that led to a delicate ⁠truce; and it filled US fiscal coffers with hundreds of billions of dollars. The Liberation Day tariffs alone yielded $166 billion in revenue, a major offset to a growing federal deficit, but refunds to importers have now turned those collections negative. The 150-day temporary tariffs, based on a law meant to quell balance-of-payments crises, have added $31 billion in assessed revenue through July 5. ‌But if a federal court ruling against them stands, that money, too, is subject to refund.

Trump’s new tariffs are likely here to stay, and more are coming
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

India placed in lower tariff tier at 10% under US Section 301 measures on forced labour: Govt

The government on Saturday said the US has kept India in lower tariff bracket of 10 per cent under its Section 301 measures on alleged forced labour concerns. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) on July 23 announced the final measures under Section 301 of the US Trade Act, 1974. USTR has imposed an additional 10 per cent tariffs on imports from India. The US had initially proposed a 12.5 per cent tariffs. India remained closely engaged with USTR throughout the investigation via detailed written submissions and in-person consultations, including participation in public hearings. "As a result of these sustained efforts, India has been placed in the lower tier of additional tariffs under the final measures, providing a relative advantage to Indian exports in key sectors," the commerce ministry said in a statement. A substantial share of India's exports to the United States, which currently attract zero additional duties, such as generic pharmaceuticals, smartphones and certain other specified products, continue to remain outside the scope of the additional 10 per cent duty, it said. Further, products already covered under Section 232 measures, including steel, aluminium and auto parts, are not subject to the additional 10 per cent duty. Section 232 duties are applicable broadly to all countries with limited exceptions. "On account of these exemptions, an estimated 45 per cent of India's exports to the United States remain outside the purview of the additional 10 per cent Section 301 duty," the ministry said. The remaining 55 per cent of exports will attract the additional 10 per cent duty, where India's tariff incidence is comparatively lower than that for most other economies covered by the investigation. It also said the textile-specific mechanism referenced in the final measures is yet to be established and operationalised and India continues to engage with the US on this matter as part of the ongoing negotiations for the Bilateral Trade Agreement. "The government remains committed to working with the US towards the early conclusion of the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, as announced on 2nd February 2026 and in accordance with the Joint Statement issued on 7th February 2026," it said.

India placed in lower tariff tier at 10% under US Section 301 measures on forced labour: Govt