Green Trade and Trade Greener: The Wto Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions

Abstract

The initiative on Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) was launched in 2020, as part of an ambitious WTO package to gain worldwide relevance on the conversation on trade and environment. It has been portrayed as a non-negotiating initiative, conceived to encourage discussion and transparency over a wide number of topics. In its three years of existence, it has gained popularity and its discussions became more technical and focused; it is expected to deliver a Ministerial Declaration in the forthcoming thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference. This paper questions whether the WTO acquis is suitable to deal with what we consider the two main aspects of sustainable trade: trade facilitation of sustainable goods and services (a ‘trade greener’ standpoint), and trade that remedies the externalities caused by trade and production (the ‘green trade’ approach). We also argue that the current WTO initiatives on sustainable trade are not mature enough to support the green transition at an organization that needs to balance trade liberalization with environment protection. WTO and environment, TESSD, sustainable trade, WTO reform, green trade, environmental goods and services, subsidies, trade-related climate measures, circular economy, MC13, COP 28