Vers une économie circulaire faible en carbone : le rôle émergent du commerce

The document examines the intersection of the circular economy and international trade, highlighting how shifting from primary to secondary raw materials can significantly reduce carbon emissions. It discusses the growth of secondary material markets, the rise of circular business models like sharing economies and product longevity, and the need for trade policies to eliminate barriers to circular goods and services. The authors advocate for international standards, the use of bilateral and regional free trade agreements, and a more proactive role for the WTO in facilitating a low-carbon circular economy.

• The extraction and processing of material resources, including agriculture and fossil fuels, account for 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making circular economy solutions indispensable for meeting Paris Agreement goals.
• Recycling secondary raw materials is significantly less energy-intensive than extracting primary resources, with energy savings of up to 90% depending on the material.
• The global trade of waste is a substantial market valued at 315 billion USD annually, with 550 tonnes of various waste materials, such as metals and plastics, traded each year.
• Trade in metal scrap and waste has seen significant growth, increasing from 22 billion USD in 2002 to 82 billion USD in 2017.
• Extending the lifespan of electronic devices can reduce carbon footprints; for example, 85% to 95% of a smartphone's total carbon footprint in its first two years comes from the mining of its metals.
• Current international trade measures related to the circular economy are limited, primarily consisting of import bans—such as China's 2017/2018 waste import ban—and export restrictions on raw materials, which the OECD notes increase by about 7% annually.
• Bilateral and regional free trade agreements are identified as the most effective tools for expanding circular economy measures, citing the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the CPTPP as potential vehicles.

APA

Moss, K., Pantsar, M., & Vaughan, S. (n.d.). Vers une économie circulaire faible en carbone : le rôle émergent du commerce. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16153

Chicago

Moss, Kevin, Mari Pantsar, and Scott Vaughan. Vers une économie circulaire faible en carbone : le rôle émergent du commerce. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16153.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moss |first1=Kevin |last2=Pantsar |first2=Mari |last3=Vaughan |first3=Scott |title=Vers une économie circulaire faible en carbone : le rôle émergent du commerce |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16153 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mossndvers, author = {Moss, Kevin and Pantsar, Mari and Vaughan, Scott}, title = {{Vers une économie circulaire faible en carbone : le rôle émergent du commerce}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16153}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }