Trade Provisions in Multilateral Environmental Agreements: Key Elements for Consideration in the Context of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

The document highlights that global plastics trade, valued at $1.2 trillion in 2020, accelerates the plastic crisis by acting as a "conveyor belt" for pollution and increasing waste burdens on importing countries. It suggests that a plastics treaty should incorporate trade restrictions, permit requirements, and mandatory reporting to ensure efficacy and prevent "leakage" to non-signatory states. The brief references the Basel, CITES, and Montreal conventions as successful examples of using trade measures to achieve environmental goals.

• Global trade in plastics is immense, with 369 million tons traded in 2020, valued at $1.2 trillion.
• Trade in plastics contributes to the environmental crisis in three ways: the liberalization of trade supports increased production and consumption, trade spreads pollution including micro- and nanoplastics globally, and it increases the waste management burden for importing nations.
• Trade-related measures in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) serve as incentives for non-signatory states to join and prevent 'leakage,' where parties avoid obligations by trading with non-parties.
• Common trade provisions in existing MEAs include export and import restrictions, permit and licensing procedures, and the ability for states to implement additional measures.
• The brief recommends five specific trade measures for the plastics treaty: trade restrictions and bans on feedstocks and polymers, permit requirements for control and environmentally-sound management, mandatory declaration and reporting of imports and exports, the ability for states to adopt stricter domestic measures, and provisions to coordinate with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Trade Provisions in Multilateral Environmental Agreements: Key Elements for Consideration in the Context of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIEL-Policy-Brief-Trade-Provisions-in-Multilateral-Environmental-Agreements_-Key-Elements-for-Consideration-in-the-Context-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution-1.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Trade Provisions in Multilateral Environmental Agreements: Key Elements for Consideration in the Context of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIEL-Policy-Brief-Trade-Provisions-in-Multilateral-Environmental-Agreements_-Key-Elements-for-Consideration-in-the-Context-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Trade Provisions in Multilateral Environmental Agreements: Key Elements for Consideration in the Context of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIEL-Policy-Brief-Trade-Provisions-in-Multilateral-Environmental-Agreements_-Key-Elements-for-Consideration-in-the-Context-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndtrade, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Trade Provisions in Multilateral Environmental Agreements: Key Elements for Consideration in the Context of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CIEL-Policy-Brief-Trade-Provisions-in-Multilateral-Environmental-Agreements_-Key-Elements-for-Consideration-in-the-Context-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }