Search Results (9)

UK ports handle the vast majority of national trade by volume and constitute Critical National Infrastructure. Since 2004, the SOLAS/ISPS Code and the Port Security Regulations 2009 have established baseline security requirements, recently supplemented by the National Security and Investment Act 2021 and the National Security Act 2023, creating overlapping obligations. This contribution maps the evolving regulatory framework (ISPS/Port Security Regulations, NSI 2021, NSA 2023, and CNI-related guidance). It assesses operational impacts using industry metrics and draws comparative lessons from Singapore and Rotterdam. Empirical research indicates that security regulation is not uniformly detrimental to performance: targeted, intelligence-led, and technology-enabled measures can coincide with productivity gains, whereas fragmented or blanket compliance regimes are more consistently associated with increased dwell times and throughput loss. These delays propagate through supply chains and intensify cost pressures, with proportionally greater impacts on mid-sized ports. Comparative evidence indicates that risk-based screening, integrated cyber–physical platforms, transparent governance, and clear cost-sharing frameworks can maintain security without compromising commercial performance. The contribution recommends (i) tiered, risk-based screening with transparent indicators; (ii) the consolidation of overlapping regulatory obligations; (iii) clearer liability frameworks, including model terms and alternative dispute resolution; and (iv) scheduled review provisions to maintain proportionality over time. Full article

The long-stop rule, under the UK Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 1987, imposes a 10-year limitation period for product liability claims, providing legal certainty for manufacturers and consumers. However, this timeframe is increasingly problematic in the case of medical devices, particularly implantable ones, which can fail decades after implantation. This review considers an extension to the long-stop period for medical devices, emphasising the need for patient protection, legal clarity, and reduced clinician burden, and contrasts the current UK system with the EU’s proposed 25-year long-stop period under the recently implemented 2024 Product Liability Directive. Through case studies, including surgical mesh and orthopaedic implants, the discussion highlights the challenges posed by delayed failure modes and the resulting difficulties in seeking redress within the 10-year window. Lastly, the role of publicly funded redress schemes and the evolving legal landscape are examined, underscoring the importance of reconsidering the current statutory limitations. Extending the long-stop period, combined with the use of explant analysis to evaluate defective medical devices, is proposed as a means to enhance patient safety and align with ongoing advancements in medical technology and regulation. Full article

This perspective reframes Colombian coffee pulp from an environmental liability into a strategic asset by proposing a new discovery paradigm. We argue that the pulp’s challenging chemical environment is not a barrier but its key advantage, having acted as a natural evolutionary filter that has sculpted a unique, highly resilient microbiome. Our vision is a technology pipeline that harnesses this natural pre-selection. By converging deep metagenomic data from the pulp’s microbiome with generative artificial intelligence, we can create and validate novel, high-performance bioactive peptides and enzymes that are already pre-optimized for industrial robustness. This approach transcends traditional waste valorization, establishing a new framework for “biointelligence” in action. It offers a strategic roadmap for Colombia to generate knowledge-intensive value chains from its most iconic agricultural product, turning a national challenge into a global opportunity in the bioeconomy. Full article

Green hydrogen is a promising energy vector for industrial applications. However, hydrogen leaks can occur causing greenhouse effects and posing safety risks for operators and local communities, potentially leading to legal liabilities. Industry 4.0 focuses on digital industrial modernization, while Industry 5.0 emphasizes collaborative, human-centered, and sustainable processes. This study developed and analyzed an Industry 5.0 proof of concept as an additional safety layer for hydrogen leak management. The proof of concept was implemented using Raspberry Pi microcomputers, integrated computer vision, and OpenAI GPT-3 for dynamic email communication. A legal liability analysis for Chile and Spain identified potential challenges in transitioning the system into a market-ready product. The findings suggest the system should act as a complementary safety layer rather than a primary detection system to mitigate legal liability risks, as operational deployment without full certification and validation could lead to malfunctions. This study illustrated how hydrogen detection and management can be integrated into Industry 5.0 smart systems. With growing global interest in sustainable engineering and AI regulation, as reflected in Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, legal considerations over technologies like the one presented in this study are becoming increasingly relevant. Full article

Steel slag is a significant environmental liability generated by pyrometallurgical processes. Residue generation, such as granulated blast furnace slag and basic oxygen slag (BOF), is intrinsic in steel production. Blast furnace slag, generated in the carbothermal reduction of iron ore, is almost entirely used as a supplementary cement material in Portland cement. BOF slag, produced in the conversion of pig iron into steel in a basic oxygen converter, is still not consolidated or valued for reuse. This research proposes the reuse and valorization of BOF slag combined with blast furnace slag in clinker-free cement production. Cement formulations were produced with different slag and gypsum contents, ranging from 80 to 90% blast furnace slag, 10 to 20% gypsum, and 10 to 15% BOF slag. All formulations were evaluated for compressive strength at ages of 3, 7, 14, 28, 91, and 180 days of curing. At the initial ages, the cement formulations exhibited high resistance. On the 3rd day, the cement formulations reached up to 10 MPa, and on the 7th day, 40 MPa. At late ages, the best-performing formulation, ECO2, showed, after 28 days of hydration, a compressive strength greater than 50 MPa, and at 180 days, a compressive strength greater than 80 MPa. It was possible to understand that BOF slag acts in cement alkaline activation with pH increase, more or less actively due to the presence of lime, portlandite, and calcite. Full article

With the integration of sustainable development into all aspects of the economy, politics, society, culture, and ecology, the effectiveness and innovation of enterprises in sustainability have become global research issues. Internal control affects the current operation and management as the main means for enterprises to maintain normal production and operation and prevent risks. Therefore, it is closely related to the future development of enterprises. This study uses 84 papers from Web of Science to systematically trace the determinants of enterprise sustainability using Vosviewer software and the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) as a manifestation of internal control to analyze the role and controversies of internal control in the process of enterprise sustainable strategic planning. The results show that internal control has, on the one hand, positive effects on enterprise sustainability by improving the quality of financial information, derived effects, and spillover effects. However, on the other hand, internal control can be detrimental to enterprise sustainability by increasing compliance costs and legal liabilities. This study points out opportunities and directions for improving enterprise internal control regulation and empirical research in response to such results. Finally, this study provides implications for enterprises seeking to achieve a sustainable level of development regarding the proper implementation of internal controls, as well as avenues for further research. Full article

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), an emerging area of digital advancement in shipping and shipbuilding industries, presents a different legal paradigm from that of existing ships. Existing maritime-related industries, including shipping, shipbuilding, and logistics, based on large hardware called ships, are rapidly changing into highly autonomous software-centered structures. This study is focused on analyzing the legal issues in preparation for MASS’ commercial operations in the future by applying comparative methods centered on the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom. The study’s results contribute to the criteria for the manufacturing responsibility of autonomous ship-embedded software and a desirable legal policy improvement plan. Various legal issues and macro legal policy directions related to software product liability were identified. The study also presents concrete implementation strategies to achieve an ideological harmony and a balance between equitable damage relief and the advancement of related technologies to ensure maritime safety in the maritime industry. Based on the issues identified and their legal policy alternatives, it is hoped that the institutional ideal of product liability, which promotes technological advancement and protects consumer rights, is realized in the software domain as well. Full article

This article analyzes the environmental opportunities and limitations of digitalization in the agricultural sector by applying qualitative governance analysis. Agriculture is recognized as a key application area for digital technologies, including artificial intelligence. This is not least because it faces major sustainability challenges, especially with regard to meeting the climate and biodiversity targets set out in the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as the water-related objectives of EU environmental legislation. Based on an overview of the possible applications of digital technologies in agriculture, the article offers a status quo analysis of legal acts with relevance to digitalization in the EU agricultural sector. It is found that a reliable legal framework with regard to product liability and product safety, as well as data privacy, data access, and data security is important in this context. In addition, the European Common Agricultural Policy, as the most important funding instrument for digital innovations in the agricultural sector, should be designed in such a way that it links digitalization-related objectives more closely with sustainability targets. So far, the existing EU governance does not fully exploit the potentials of digitalization for environmental protection, and sight is lost of possible negative side effects such as rebound and shifting effects. Therefore, the article also offers proposals for the optimization of EU governance. Full article

Mining is an activity that generates inputs to different production chains, making it essential for any country’s development. However, it causes environmental, economic, and social impacts that must be considered. The Mining Law provides guidelines, through laws and regulations, so the activity can be carried out in an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable way. In this paper, an analysis was conducted of the application of some peculiar characteristics of Brazilian Mining Law (locational rigidity, priority granting, among others) according to the parameters established in the Federal Constitution, in the Mining Code and its updates, and in the National Department of Mineral Production, Environment Ministry, and Mines and Energy Ministry normative acts. Moreover, the Superior Court of Justice Jurisprudence was analyzed to understand how the Mining Law is applied, in practice. It was verified that the Brazilian legislation is not perfect, but it has mechanisms to protect and benefit the miner, the society, and the environment. However, there are many shortcomings like the lack of speed in judging processes and the flaws in the applicability of some principles that compromise sustainability in the activity’s development, especially regarding the environmental and social liabilities left after mine closure. Full article