News

Drawing on a powerful new database that tracks and traces the plastic life cycle, UNCTAD shows where countries can apply trade policy pressure to reduce pollution.

By Henrique Pacini, Economic Affairs Officer, UNCTAD, and Tze Ni Yeoh, Consultant, World Bank

Guidelines to help governments, companies and consumers benefit from sustainable trade in precious plants and animals now include elements such as climate resilience and marine biodiversity.

A new call to action urges countries to make BioTrade a lever for recovery and resilience in the wake of the pandemic.

The project is a point of convergence for conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, and a driver for a blue and green recovery from COVID-19.

The pandemic has led to a surge in pollution from disposable products like plastic face masks and hand sanitizer bottles. Effective trade rules can help limit the spread of coronavirus waste.

The Geneva-based organizations launch a revamped Global Trade Helpdesk to support firms, especially smaller businesses, in a post-COVID-19 world.

New data shows a worrying deterioration of trade for developing countries and a continued struggle for the automotive and energy sectors, while office equipment rebounds.

The increasingly unsustainable use of marine resources for economic activities has hurt the health of our oceans, seas and coasts. Governments and businesses have the opportunity to turn the tide and make blue economy sectors more "green" in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

A small business making natural products from jujube and tamarind has kept its doors open and workers safe thanks to sustainability principles adopted before the pandemic.