A new trading platform to assist buyers of timber in sourcing legal or certified products from all over the world has been launched. BVRio Environmental Exchange has announced its responsible timber exchange index to facilitate the screening of timber products and their supply chains.

Today's automobiles are often described as computers on wheels, for the scores of processors and chips they use to control everything, including the transmission, brakes, power windows and navigation system. The advent of self-driving cars may require the equivalent of a supercomputer on wheels. Which is why three technology companies in the field - Intel, Delphi Automotive and Mobileye - plan to collaborate in an alliance.

As managers face increasing pressure from stakeholders to make supply chains eco-friendly, companies are on the hunt for new and inexpensive tools, partners, or processes that can improve the sustainability of their operations. But according to a new study, one solution may already exist: Cloud computing could improve supply chains' environmental performance while also cutting costs.

Deep inside a sprawling glass-and-cement edifice the size of an airplane hangar in the Spanish town of Arteixo, 10 designers swarm around a model dressed in cropped gray trousers and a double-breasted navy blazer. Sweaters, shirts and suits are spread out on the white-tile floor, while seamstresses in white labcoats stitch prototypes nearby. "It's classic, but it's new at the same time," says a woman from China. "I'm not sure about the bold patterns," counters a British woman, dressed in white sneakers and a flowing skirt. Others nod their assent or express doubt.

Members of Congress received a warning this month about security vulnerabilities in the so-called internet of things (IoT), as cyber experts cautioned that with billions of new devices coming online, coordinated hacking attacks could become - literally - a matter of life and death.