From asbestos bans changing the material composition of fiber cement products, to product innovation leading to more intensive use of alternatives at fiber cement’s expense, a number of developments in India, the United States and China will affect the ebb and flow of fiber cement sales through 2023 and beyond.

Consumers don't realize just how critical diesel engines are to global transport and industrial infrastructure, and how these versatile machines affect our daily lives.

Retail sales of cannabis products are forecast to advance 18% per year through 2024. The best opportunities are expected for edibles and topicals.

The dynamics of global markets for pools, spas and related equipment and chemicals are expected to renormalize going forward based on mature-market trends, though continued expansion of developing markets will boost gains.

As leading drug makers face state legal challenges for their role in the opioid epidemic.

Consumers still prefer the look of wood for their homes.

In addition to transforming how the $21.3 billion global construction equipment sector operates, the incorporation of advanced software and sensors is the first step towards automated machines, which often perform better and are more efficient. As a result, global construction machinery producers will continue to invest heavily in research and development (R&D). Here are a few systems from top manufacturers that are leading the pack.

At a time when consumers are increasingly focused on sound control and aesthetics, specialty ceilings have become the fastest growing products in the ceilings market.  Check out a few key specialty ceiling products that will impact the US market in the coming years.

There was a time when asbestos was commonly used in fiber cement products as a binder that served to strengthen the cement. Hardie Fibrolite was the first major fiber cement product to hit the market, quickly gaining popularity in the 1950s as an alternative to increasingly expensive timber and brick materials. Since then, fiber cement siding, roofing, and other products (like fencing) have become widely used in many parts of the world, with overall demand for fiber cement totaling $10 billion in 2018, according to data from The Freedonia Group.

However, while fiber cement’s worldwide popularity hasn’t diminished, the same can’t be said for asbestos.

Cannabis legalization is blazing across North America – from the 2018 Farm Bill freeing production and trade of industrial hemp in the US, to the 2018 Cannabis Act legalizing recreational marijuana in Canada. Additionally, eleven US states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and more are expected to try (or try again) in the months and years ahead.