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This case study by RMI evaluates the economic and environmental impact of an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at the Oko Oba Abattoir in Lagos, Nigeria. The analysis compares a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario with scaling options to replace charcoal fuel and diversify biogas use, concluding that while the project is economically viable, high upfront capital costs remain a significant barrier to private investment.

This research paper by the Africa Policy Research Institute examines how green technologies in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste management, and green construction can address youth unemployment in Africa. It identifies significant job creation potential but highlights critical barriers including financing gaps, infrastructure deficits, and policy implementation failures.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines India's capacity to manufacture and recycle renewable energy technologies. It highlights a heavy reliance on Chinese imports for solar PV components, a strong but underutilised domestic wind turbine industry, and the critical need to develop recycling infrastructure for minerals and components to secure future supply chains.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Break Free from Plastics (BFFP) provides a streamlined comparison between the Chair's third Non-Paper and the Compilation draft text for the future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. The document synthesizes these two sources to facilitate discussions at the fifth intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC-5), highlighting critical omissions in the Non-Paper and presenting various textual options for the treaty's articles, including those on product design, chemicals of concern, and financial mechanisms.

The ProBaMet Project, a partnership involving Oeko-Institut, ARE, SRADev Nigeria, and Platform Lead, has established a positive listing for lead-acid battery recycling in Nigeria to promote responsible waste management and mitigate risks to human health and the environment.

An opinion piece by Justina Grigaraviciene discussing the alignment of Moldova with the European Green Deal (EGD), emphasizing the necessity of local leadership, strategic reforms in key sectors, and effective communication to ensure a sustainable transition.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines whether deep sea mining is necessary for the clean energy transition. It concludes that deep sea mining is unlikely to alleviate short-term mineral supply crunches because the technology for commercial extraction and processing is not yet available, and the steepest growth in mineral demand is expected before 2035. The document highlights that there is no physical scarcity of critical minerals in the earth's crust, but rather supply risks driven by lack of investment, recycling, and geopolitical concentration of processing in China. It suggests that sustainable land mining, supply diversification, recycling, and material substitution are more viable alternatives to deep sea mining, which carries significant unknown environmental risks.

This research paper, prepared for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality by the Stockholm Environment Institute, discusses the rationale and methodology for setting consumption-based greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. It argues that supplementing Oregon's existing sector-based targets with consumption-based goals would provide a more comprehensive and equitable approach to climate mitigation by accounting for the full carbon footprint of goods and services consumed within the state.

This report by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides guidance on the design and implementation of trade-related circular economy policies and measures (TrCEMs). It aims to help governments create frameworks that achieve environmental and public health goals while minimizing trade costs and supporting fair transitions, particularly for developing countries.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) analyzes contributions from Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) members regarding the protection of human health within a proposed international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It focuses on the work of two ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert groups meeting in Bangkok in August 2024 to inform the final negotiation session (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea, in November 2024.

This briefing by RMI explains the chemicals industry's role in global greenhouse gas emissions and its critical importance to the clean energy transition, while outlining the complexities and strategies required for its decarbonization.

This guide by RMI outlines the business case for commercial real estate developers to reduce embodied carbon—the emissions from material production and construction—which accounts for an estimated 11% of global emissions. It presents nine specific investment strategies divided into building-level and corporate-level actions to mitigate transition risks, reduce development costs, and create competitive advantages.

This policy brief outlines the necessity for India to develop a comprehensive copper strategy to support its infrastructure growth and clean energy transition, focusing on supply diversification, trade reforms, and the promotion of a circular economy through scrap recycling.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes trade frictions arising from national and subnational plastic pollution measures implemented by WTO members. By examining Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) and Trade Policy Review (TPR) questions, the authors identify six primary types of regulatory issues—timing, transparency, stakeholder engagement, proportionality, justification, and discrimination—and provide recommendations to help policy-makers design measures that minimize trade disruptions.

This report examines the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in facilitating the transition to a global circular economy to address the 'triple planetary crisis'. It analyzes current trade measures, identifies a disproportionate focus on end-of-life waste management over upstream resource reduction, and proposes a framework for regulatory alignment and mutual recognition of circular goods and services to prevent market fragmentation and 'circular resource nationalism'.

This research paper, commissioned by the Estonian Ministry of Climate, examines the feasibility of recycling capabilities for textile waste in Estonia in response to the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics provides an overview of the global petrochemical industry, highlighting its growing contribution to oil and gas demand and greenhouse gas emissions. It details the specific impacts of nitrogen fertilisers and plastics, the rapid expansion of production capacity—particularly in China—and the limitations of current recycling and substitution strategies in mitigating climate and health risks.

Friends of the Earth International issues a statement calling for a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics, from production and extraction to waste management, while limiting the influence of the fossil fuel industry in negotiations.

This policy brief by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides a comprehensive overview of the institutional entry points and governance processes within the World Trade Organization (WTO) where trade and environmental policies intersect. It details the roles of various WTO bodies, including the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), the dispute settlement mechanism, and the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), while highlighting recent member-led initiatives on plastic pollution, fossil fuel subsidies, and environmental sustainability.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides a detailed analysis and commentary on the Revised Zero Draft of the international plastics treaty. It evaluates various options for the treaty's structure and obligations, advocating for legally binding mandates ('shall' instead of 'should'), a full life-cycle approach to plastic pollution, and the inclusion of human rights and health dimensions. CIEL emphasizes the necessity of controlling primary plastic polymer production and eliminating hazardous chemicals to achieve the treaty's objective of ending plastic pollution.