
Japanese snack giant switches to black and white packaging as Iran war hits ink supplies
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted global supplies of energy and petrochemicals.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted global supplies of energy and petrochemicals.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted global supplies of energy and petrochemicals.

One of Japan’s best-loved snack brands is switching to monochrome packaging for a number of its products due to a shortage of naphtha – a crude-oil derivative used in petrochemicals and printing inks – caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Calbee said it would “temporarily revise packaging specifications for certain products in response to supply instability affecting certain raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East”. The decision by the...

NHS chiefs fear rising costs and healthcare shortages due to the shipping standstill in the GulfThe war in Iran has put the NHS on high alert amid fears about looming shortages and rising costs for medicines and medical products such as syringes, intravenous bags and gloves.Much of modern healthcare is dependent on the petrochemicals now held up by the Gulf shipping standstill – whether for active pharmaceutical ingredients or to produce the millions of sterile single-use items, ranging from personal protective equipment (PPE) to catheters and diagnostic-device casings. Continue reading...