Fashion has a pollution problem and IBM , along with a number of tech firms and UK garment and fabric brands , are piloting a new platform to solve the issue . Is this not a case of closing the barn door once the horse has bolted ? There ’ s still plenty of opportunity to get things back on track . The UK Fashion & Textile Association is partnering on the project , along with global retailer H & M , and a handful of other retailers and brands . How exactly will this help make fashion more sustainable ? The Sustainable Supply Chain Optimisation will operate on a combination of IBM ’ s blockchain and AI technologies running on the IBM Cloud , and will be prototyped during a nine month project . The UKFT says the blockchain technology will enable greater supply chain transparency , while AI will detect supply chain disruption and provide real-time insights for analysis of current business performance , rapid problem solving and optimisation of business flows .

� UPS UPS CEO Carol Tome ’ s ‘ better not bigger ” strategy paid off in Q2 . Sales hit $ 23.4bn , a y-o-y rise of 14 %. Consolidated operating profit reached $ 3.3bn , up 47.3 % compared to the same period in 2020 . International revenues grew 30 %, and its domestic US segment rose 10 %.

� PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL Tobacco giant PMI won a £ 1.1bn bid for inhaler manufacturer Vectura , whose board unanimously voted the acquisition through . US private equity group Carlyle had offered £ 958m earlier this year .

� NEWPORT WAFER FAB A takeover of the Welsh chipmaker by Nexperia , a Netherlands-based company owned by Chinese firm Wingtech , could be blocked by the UK government . Boris Johnson ordered a probe over national security risks . A consortium of UK businesses are interested if the deal falls through .

� ORSTED Good weather has taken the wind out of the sails of Orsted , the world ’ s largest offshore wind farm developer . It warned profits would sag due to “ significantly lower than normal wind speeds ” across its turbine portfolio .

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