Five stories that matter this week:
EIT Manufacturing, the EU-backed body tasked with digitising Europe’s industrial base - filed for liquidation on March 27.
Over 200 companies are now waiting for the grants they were promised, half of them SMEs and startups. EIT Manufacturing ran grant programmes ranging from €50k to €500k since its launch in 2019. Its funding was frozen in 2024 after the European Anti-Fraud Office found “serious irregularities.” A €163 million lifeline was approved last October 2025, yet in February 2026, another investigation came as “irregularities went well beyond those identified initially”. At the same time, the EU’s proposed 2028–2034 budget makes no mention of the EIT.
Leon, Tocco’s Founder, warned March 25 (two days before EIT Manufacturing’s announcement), that if Europe wants to succeed in the great reindustrialisation, it first needs to look into the abyss.Speaking of broken promises, Allbirds, once valued at $4 billion, just agreed to sell its IP and most of its assets for $39 million. The company built its brand on the idea that consumers would pay a premium for sustainably made products. Analysts argued that the Allbirds case showed once again that sustainability comes well behind style, price, and comfort in the buying decision.
We wouldn’t jump to that conclusion that fast, as there are so many ways to die in business. What we know for sure is that Allbirds has lost its competitive edge over the years - and its loyal customers have moved on to On and Hoka. With nothing to hold on to, its shares have lost 95% of their value since the IPO.Speaking of demand shifts, the Trump administration eliminated the $7,500 federal EV tax credit at the end of September 2025, leading to these EV lines being cancelled: Ford's three-row electric SUV, the Maserati MC20 Folgore, and sedans from Nissan and Infiniti. Porsche's flagship electric K1 is being reworked with combustion and plug-in hybrid powertrains instead, while Honda just pulled its US EV projects entirely (Data as of March 27).
On April 3, Leon wrote an analysis on the US Manufacturing scene and how it does not have a skill gap problem, but a bad business model problem. The latter is much less discussed, perhaps because it’s much tougher to solve?Speaking of tough problems - two chemicals widely used to make plastic more flexible - DEHP and DiNP - are linked to nearly 2 million premature births and 74,000 newborn deaths worldwide in 2018, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Langone. These are phthalates - so-called “everywhere chemicals” found in children’s toys, food packaging, vinyl flooring, medical devices, and personal care products.
If you work in materials or product development, this is the kind of crucial data that moves regulation forward - and the researchers are explicitly calling for limits in a global plastics treaty.And one for the regulation shelf: on March 30, the European Commission released its official guidance document on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation - the PPWR. This is the implementation layer: how the PPWR actually applies to your business, your packaging formats, your compliance timelines.
We’ve put together a full set of resources: our PPWR implementation guide, a visual roadmap (aka deadlines), and an overview of Extended Producer Responsibility in the EU.
Enjoy your weekend. Stay sharp - and keep building.
Anh
On behalf of the Tocco team
FutureMade 2026 · Expedition to China’s Industrial Frontier
If China is part of your strategic horizon, you might want to pay close attention to FutureMade. The next cohort is being shaped as a 6-day route through Beijing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Nantong, and beyond for leaders seeking direct access to operators, founders, industrial leaders, and policy voices across advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, biomanufacturing, and the systems shaping what comes next. Applications are now open for this year.
FutureMade is not a tour. It is a private, curated executive expedition into China’s industrial frontier, limited to a very small cohort to preserve the quality of access, conversation, and fit. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Further Resources · Material & Manufacturing News · 04.2026
(US 🇺🇸) Goldman Sachs’ chief economist says AI contributed “basically zero” to US GDP growth in 2025. The reason: much of the AI hardware investment flows to the Taiwanese and Korean GDP, not American. Goldman still projects AI could raise US labour productivity by 15% when fully adopted - but a measurable GDP impact isn’t expected until 2027 at the earliest. Heavy investment, not yet heavy returns.
(Vietnam 🇻🇳 and Global 🌏) For those who love Podcasts, Leon sat down with Tu Minh Tri, a Cambridge political scientist from Vietnam, to discuss the collapsing global order, Vietnam’s rise as a new manufacturing hub and more. Available on Youtube and Spotify.
(China 🇨🇳 and Global 🌏) Still for Podcast lovers, Leon this time chatted with Sven Agten, a Belgian CEO who has spent 20 Years Inside China. They discussed China’s development over the last decades, Europe’s recent economic decline, and the future of the global economy. Available on Youtube and Spotify.