Environment & Trade Hub

Green Trade Policies and Agreements towards inclusive Green Economies with Sustainable Consumption and Production

Global Trade can play a Key Role
Currently, global trade acts as an amplifier to the triple planetary crises of climate instability, nature loss, and rising pollution. However, trade can contribute to sustainable development if trade policies align with environmental and social policies. The shift to sustainable production and consumption patterns creates new opportunities for environmental goods, services, and technologies - all necessary to meet the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda. Yet, many countries lack the capacity to use trade as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development. View Inger Andersen, UNEP’s executive director, about how trade could contribute to sustainability.

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The role of the UNEP Environment & Trade Hub

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The Environment & Trade Hub serves as the delivery mechanism for UNEP's work on trade. The objective is to green trade by engaging at the global, national and private sector level. To achieve this the Hub works on greening global production and consumption by focusing on enhancing the design and sustainability standards of the value chains of key sectors, and facilitating market access for sustainable products. The Hub works with WTO members to green the multilateral trade agenda by pushing for the reform of harmful subsidies, liberalizing trade in environmental goods and services and by echoing the perspectives of developing country members. The Hub also works on cross-cutting topics, like trade and export finance, and it advises member states on the trade and environment nexus. More about our Key Messages and how to contact us in our Fact File.  

The Environment & Trade Hub works across key areas:

1. Greening global value chains of key sectors

a. Focus Area: Textile Commodities Value Chains

Circularity and Used Textile Trade: Greening trade in used textiles.  

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The textiles industry is experiencing remarkable upward trajectory, with its value expected to reach US$1.6 trillion in 2023 and forecasted to double to US$3.3 trillion by 2030, despite the challenges brought on by the global pandemic in 2020. Textile and apparel exports serve as crucial economic drivers in countries such as Pakistan (59%), Bangladesh (85%), Turkey (12%), and Egypt (11%) providing significant employment opportunities, particularly for women. The "Circularity and Used Textiles Trade" project is at the forefront of driving substantial change within the industry. By identifying key policy priorities, developing global guidelines for the trading of used textiles, collaborating with governments in Pakistan, Kenya, Ghana, and Tunisia, integrating innovative product designs and business models to enhance sustainability and resilience in the textile value chain, and establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, the project is ensuring transparency and accountability in achieving its goals of transitioning towards a sustainable and circular textile industry. 

More on UNEP's outcomes in the textiles trade.

b. Agriculture and food systems 

Trade, Development and the Environment Hub

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Trade in natural and agricultural goods is a key part of economic growth. Removing too many wild animals or plants can cause populations to decline and ultimately crash. Clearing land for crops removes essential habitat for wildlife and threatens water, air and soil resources. The UKRI GCRF Trade, Development and the Environment Hub aims to make trade sustainable for people and the planet (Introduction movie). With over 50 organizations from 15 countries, this five-year project is led by UNEP-WCMC. The project investigates trade in wildlife, wild meat and agricultural goods worldwide from their origins in Brazil, Central Africa, China, Indonesia and TanzaniaTogether with policymakers and IO's, UNEP's Environment & Trade Hub contributes to the project by catalyzing public policy responses to greening international trade in agricultural goods. 

More on UNEP’s outcomes from Trade, Development and the Environment Hub project.

c. Additional global Value Chains:

Events 

Fostering International Trade Cooperation on Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Subsidies

21 June 2024, 09:15 PM CET

Roundtable on Trade, Sustainable Development & Circularity in the Textiles Sector: Perspectives on Trade in Second Hand Textiles

3 June 2024, 13:15 PM CET

World Circular Economy Forum 2024

15 April 2024
09:30 AM CET: Building sustainable solutions for used textiles trade  

IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub alongside the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference

27 February 2024
12:00 PM GST: Delivering Deforestation-free Global Value Chains: How do we allocate the burden of change?

27 February 2024
10:00 AM GST: Enabling a Just Transition: Trade and industrial policy options for developing countries on climate action and principles for cooperation

Regional Stakeholder Consultations

16 - 17 May 2023
Regional Stakeholder Consultation in Africa: nature-positive trade for sustainable agricultural supply chains

27 - 28 March 2023
Regional Stakeholder Consultation in Latin America and the Caribbean: nature-positive trade for sustainable agricultural supply chains

14 March 2023
13:30 CET Nature-positive Trade for Sustainable Development

COP15 

16 December 2022 
13:15 EST: Nature positive trade: how trade-related policies and measures can support the delivery of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity framework

COP27

10 November 2022
15:00 CET: Accelerating the Low-Carbon Transition Through Sustainable and Inclusive Trade

WTO Trade and Environment Week 2022

17 October 2022
High Level Panel on Multilateral Trade and Environment Cooperation: Answering Crisis and Furthering Resilience 

Pre-public forum

26 September 2022
12:30 CET: State of Play and Next Steps on Environment at the WTO: A Briefing for Stakeholders

WTO Public Forum

28 September 2022
15:45 CET: Championing the Role of Smallholders in Trade: How to Make Agriculture Commodity Trade More Equitable and Sustainable

17:30 CET: How can trade support pathways to adaptation and the transition to a low-carbon future?

29 September 2022
11:30 CET: Enabling Sustainable and Inclusive Trade: Data Science Solutions for Public-Private Partnership and Innovative Transparency Mechanisms

30 September 2022
14:00 CET: Leveraging International Organisations for Sustainable and Inclusive Trade: From Theory to Practice

14:00 CET: Trade Policy and a Circular Economy for Plastics: Insights from Developing Countries

15:45 CET: Trade and Biodiversity: Taking Stock after COP 15

GCFR TRADE Hub Events: 
Join our next webinar in the series 'Trade and Nature': 
8 July 2022, 12:00-13:00 BST: Leveraging Trade Agreements to address biodiversity impacts caused by agricultural expansionand watch the recordings of the previous webinars of the series Trade and Nature: Trade-offs and Solutions.

13 July 2022,14:00-15:30 CET: Webinar 'Nature-positive trade for sustainable development 2030,' with UNCTAD, ITC, WTO and TESS

Engagements

Global Engagement: To inform and influence the global agenda
Our objective is to achieve international cooperation on cross-cutting trade policies for global value chains to tackle the three planetary crises. 

National Engagement: To adopt green trade policies
Our objective is to inspire and enable countries (members of WTO) to develop and adopt sustainable trade policies and agreements to tackle the planetary crises.

Private Sector Engagement: To adopt green standards and norms
Our objective is to enable high-impact trading sectors to comply with voluntary or mandatory (existing and new) sustainable standards and norms.