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This briefing provides an overview of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), detailing compliance requirements for operators and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in meeting these obligations.

This policy brief examines the opportunities and barriers for the European Union to reduce consumption-based emissions (CBEs), which include emissions from the entire supply chain of goods and services consumed within the EU regardless of where production occurs. Based on policy analysis and case studies from France, Denmark, and Sweden, the brief argues that while territorial emissions have decreased, the EU's carbon footprint remains significant due to imports, necessitating coordinated EU-level targets and a shift from simple efficiency gains to systematic changes in consumption patterns.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the increasing integration of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) into free trade agreements (FTAs). It analyzes the growth, types, and potential benefits of these references, while highlighting critical challenges regarding enforcement, terminology, and the risk of creating trade barriers for small-scale producers.

This research paper evaluates the outcomes of the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) regarding the intersection of climate and trade policy. The authors argue that while the conference was largely disappointing due to a lack of binding multilateral agreements and opposition from key members like India, there is still value in utilizing the WTO as a diplomatic forum to coordinate non-binding instruments and revitalize deliberative functions such as the Committee on Trade and Environment.

A statement from a coalition of 60 trade ministers arguing that the global trading system must move beyond 'business as usual' to meet Paris Agreement goals. The coalition advocates for breaking silos between trade, finance, and climate ministries to catalyze investment in sustainable trade, support climate-vulnerable nations, and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

The report 'Greening Aid for Trade' outlines how Aid for Trade (A4T) strategies can be utilized to support developing countries in transitioning to a greener global economy and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This policy brief argues that Aid for Trade (A4T) is a critical tool for advancing sustainable development and addressing environmental crises. It proposes six pathways to 'green' A4T, emphasizing that developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs) must lead the prioritization of these resources to ensure a just and fair transition to a sustainable global economy.

This policy brief examines how Aid for Trade (AfT) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) can be leveraged to help developing and least developed countries transition to sustainable trade and circular economies to combat plastic pollution. It highlights a significant mismatch between the limited funding for plastic pollution mitigation and the massive financial flows supporting the petrochemical sector, while proposing specific short- and medium-term deliverables for WTO members through the Informal Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP).

This policy brief provides a governance-focused overview of how the World Trade Organization (WTO) addresses the intersection of trade, environment, and sustainable development. It details the various institutional bodies, negotiating processes, and recent member-led initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable trade.

This case study by GreenCape examines how Wesgro, a trade promotion agency in South Africa's Western Cape, adapted its services during the Covid-19 pandemic to support SMMEs and how these lessons can be applied to enhance green trade competitiveness and resilience.

This guide, developed by Forest Trends and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides a comprehensive framework for CITES Management Authorities (MAs) to establish Legal Acquisition Findings (LAFs). It outlines the process for verifying that specimens of species listed in CITES Appendices were acquired in accordance with national laws, emphasizing the importance of a traceable Chain of Custody (CoC) from the point of origin to the exporter.

This research paper analyzes the environmental impacts of China's electrical power sector and explores how a sustainable trade strategy can be linked to energy policy. It details China's heavy reliance on coal, the resulting pollution, and the regulatory frameworks used to manage these effects. The document also surveys international best practices in low-carbon energy policy—including economic and regulatory instruments—and suggests policy options for China to improve efficiency and competitiveness.

The 'Standards for Sustainable Trade' project, implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for the European Commission, investigated how regional cooperation can reduce technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures for developing countries. The report concludes that while regional centers of excellence can offset national capacity gaps, the WTO's TBT Agreement is often unrealistic for developing nations, which act as 'standards takers' rather than 'makers' due to a lack of institutional and scientific resources.

The research paper analyzes the Convention on Biological Diversity as a pioneering legal instrument that integrates environmental goals with economic sectors, specifically regarding the trade of genetic resources and the protection of indigenous knowledge.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides recommendations for integrating environmental and public interest protections into the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The author argues that the new agreement should move beyond the 'soft legal obligations' of recent mega-regional deals like CETA and the TPP, instead strengthening the legacy of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) to ensure trade liberalization aligns with sustainable development.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has launched the Initiative on Producer to Consumer Sustainability (P2CS), a platform designed to improve the sustainability of international trade by analyzing production-to-consumption systems (PCSs). The initiative combines innovative supply chain modelling with multidisciplinary governance analysis to increase transparency and identify opportunities for sustainable trade practices.