Hacia una Economía Circular con Bajas Emisiones de Carbono: El nuevo papel del comercio

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development explores the intersection of circular economy solutions and international trade policies to support global decarbonization. It argues that transitioning from primary to secondary materials and extending product lifespans are essential for meeting Paris Agreement goals, as resource extraction and processing account for half of global greenhouse gas emissions. The authors advocate for the removal of trade barriers to circular goods and services and the use of bilateral and regional trade agreements to establish standards for low-carbon circularity.

• Circular economy solutions are critical for decarbonization because the carbon footprint from extracting and processing material resources, including agriculture and fossil fuels, constitutes 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The global trade of waste generates a market of USD 315 billion annually, involving 550 tons of materials such as plastics, metals, electronics, paper, and clothing. Shifting to secondary materials is climatically beneficial, as recycling can require up to 90% less energy than processing primary resources.
• Trade in metal scrap and waste grew from USD 22 billion in 2002 to USD 82 billion in 2017. While this pressures primary mining, it creates new trade opportunities in services, including design for repair, material transport, and on-site engineering for maintenance.
• Various governments have implemented policies to promote secondary materials: the Netherlands has measures limiting primary materials by 50%, China's 14th Five-Year Plan discourages the demolition of old buildings and limits skyscraper construction, and the EU's 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan intends to introduce mandatory recycled content standards for both domestic and imported products.
• Extending the lifespan of electronic devices can significantly reduce carbon emissions; for instance, 85% to 95% of a smartphone's total carbon footprint in its first two years comes from the mining of internal metals. The current average lifespan of a smartphone is 29 months.
• International trade policy has historically played a minor role in the circular economy, often characterized by import bans (such as China's 2017 and 2018 bans on most waste) and export restrictions on raw materials, which the OECD estimates increase by approximately 7% annually.
• The authors suggest that bilateral and regional free trade agreements are the most effective tools for advancing circularity. Examples include the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU, and potential opportunities within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership following China's 2021 application to join.

APA

Moss, K., Pantsar, M., & Vaughan, S. (2021). Hacia una Economía Circular con Bajas Emisiones de Carbono: El nuevo papel del comercio. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/es/node/16153

Chicago

Moss, Kevin, Mari Pantsar, and Scott Vaughan. Hacia una Economía Circular con Bajas Emisiones de Carbono: El nuevo papel del comercio. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/es/node/16153.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moss |first1=Kevin |last2=Pantsar |first2=Mari |last3=Vaughan |first3=Scott |title=Hacia una Economía Circular con Bajas Emisiones de Carbono: El nuevo papel del comercio |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/es/node/16153 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moss2021hacia, author = {Moss, Kevin and Pantsar, Mari and Vaughan, Scott}, title = {{Hacia una Economía Circular con Bajas Emisiones de Carbono: El nuevo papel del comercio}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/es/node/16153}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }