Search Climate Insights Directory

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 examines the role of the World Customs Organization's (WCO) Harmonized System (HS) in tracking international trade across the life cycle of plastics. It argues that current HS classifications lack the granularity needed for evidence-based policymaking to tackle plastic pollution and proposes specific amendments for the 2022–2027 cycle to improve transparency in trade flows of feedstocks, primary plastics, manufactured products, and waste.

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 briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs argues that trade policy should facilitate a 'just and inclusive global green economy' by balancing regulatory requirements ('sticks') with supportive measures ('carrots'). It suggests that WTO members should align trade-related environmental measures with established principles of international environmental law and adopt a data-driven diagnostic approach to identify specific barriers to green transitions across different countries and sectors.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs argues that the lack of a formal, ministerial-level international agenda for climate and trade leads to policy silos and trade tensions. The author proposes the creation of a Trade Ministers’ Coalition for Cooperation on Climate Action to align global trade flows with the Paris Agreement and ensure a just transition.

This policy brief examines the international standardization landscape regarding plastic pollution, arguing that current voluntary, industry-led standards are fragmented and insufficient on their own to combat pollution without government-led priorities and complementary regulatory frameworks.

This research paper examines the international standardization landscape as it relates to plastics pollution. It analyzes the roles of major standards organizations like ISO, CEN, and ASTM International, identifies gaps in current standards across the plastics value chain, and proposes strategic re-orientations—such as variety reduction and digital materials passports—to support a circular economy and a potential global treaty on plastic pollution.

The 'Menu of Voluntary Actions' outlines eight strategic areas where members of the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate intend to coordinate trade-related actions to address the climate crisis, focusing on inter-ministerial dialogue, WTO engagement, support for vulnerable developing countries, and private sector collaboration.

This briefing note from the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs provides recommendations for integrating human health protections into the development of a global instrument to end plastic pollution, specifically referencing the draft text in NP3.

This informal briefing note from the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs provides recommendations for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to ensure the protection of human health is integrated into a future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It argues that plastic pollution constitutes a public health crisis affecting every stage of the plastic life cycle and proposes three structural options for the treaty: an integrated approach, a standalone article on health, or a combination of both. The document details specific opportunities to embed health protections across various treaty articles, focusing on the elimination of harmful chemicals, sustainable product design, and the establishment of a science-policy interface to allow the treaty to evolve with emerging evidence.

This statement from the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS), delivered on 24 April 2024 at an INC-4 official side event, advocates for a 'holistic approach' to resource mobilization and financing to ensure the success of a treaty to end plastic pollution.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs outlines strategies for integrating human health protection into the development of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It proposes a cross-cutting approach involving product design, information availability, implementation support, and a dedicated article on health to address adverse health impacts across the full plastic life cycle.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) issued a statement on 26 January 2024 regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution (DPP). TESS supports the revised draft Ministerial Statement for MC13, emphasizing that the DPP should complement the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process for a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. TESS advocates for a post-MC13 workplan that includes deep-dive sessions on trade-related cooperation, specifically addressing the needs of developing countries, least developed countries, and small-island developing states.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) issued a statement on 12 April 2024 regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP), supporting the Ministerial Statement and work plan launched at MC13 and urging members to achieve concrete outcomes by MC14.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided a pre-plenary statement on September 21, 2023, regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP). TESS offers feedback on the first draft of a proposed statement for the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), urging members to increase ambition in the annexes, ensure environmental credibility, and align the WTO's work with the ongoing plastics treaty process and the Basel Convention.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided a draft statement on November 23, 2023, regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP). TESS supports the revised draft Ministerial Statement for MC13, noting its evolution from identifying issues to agreeing on voluntary international cooperation to tackle plastic pollution.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided a statement at the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP) pre-plenary meeting on 13 June 2024. TESS advocates for narrowing the DPP's scope to achieve concrete, actionable outcomes, specifically focusing on harmonizing definitions of single-use plastics, reforming HS nomenclature for better visibility of problematic plastics, and promoting trade in environmentally sound waste management technologies.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided statements to the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP) on 18 September 2024. TESS announced a forthcoming guide for World Bank client countries on trade policies for plastic reduction (December 2024) and a policy paper with QUNO on plastic waste management technologies. TESS proposed a WTO-hosted global repository for trade-related policy measures and emphasized the need for domestic inter-ministerial coordination. Finally, TESS urged members to submit proposals by 10 October 2024 for HS Amendments to improve transparency in the trade of single-use plastics.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) issued a statement on 25 January 2024 regarding the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). TESS advocates for transitioning TESSD from a diagnostic phase of presentations to an 'inclusive incubator' focused on concrete outcomes, collective action, and recommendations to be delivered by the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14).

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines trade-related considerations within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution. It highlights the intrinsic link between transforming global supply chains and ending plastic pollution, while discussing the risks of trade discrimination, implementation costs for developing nations, and the treaty's relationship with existing multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and WTO law.