Trade-related policy measures targeting non-plastic substitutes have proliferated in recent years, impacting international trade. These measures encompass rules and support mechanisms, reflecting increased regulatory focus on sustainability and health aspects.
Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have reported various measures aimed at non-plastic substitutes, including materials like paper, glass, and natural fibres (such as bamboo, cotton, jute, and wool). These policies establish regulations throughout the life cycle, from raw material supply to end-of-life, and target products and by-products with high substitution potential.
This study analyses trade related policy measures that currently apply to a relevant set of non-plastic substitutes that can replace plastics in various functions. These include, but are not limited to, wood pulp and paper, aluminium, glass, and natural fibres such as cotton and bamboo.
The study builds on UNCTAD’s mapping of trade-related policy measures on plastics (2020). It also complements findings of the survey of trade-related measures relevant to plastic pollution conducted by the coordinators of the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (2023) and an IISD study “Trade-Related Policy Measures to Reduce Plastic Pollution: Building on the State of Play” (2023). To do so, this study uses the WTO Environmental Database as its primary source of data, since its contents reflect environment related measures which carry potential impact on trade, notified by members to the WTO.
By looking in-depth at policies regulating sustainability aspects of plastic substitutes, such as environmental and health risks, the study addresses three main objectives:
- Improve our understanding of how key material substitutes are regulated and promoted globally through national measures that affect international trade (section 2 and 3).
- Examine the extent to which policies incorporate the sustainability principles and criteria discussed in the WTO, with a view to developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (section 2 and 3).
- Discuss the multi-dimensional tradeoffs these substitutes imply, such as those of replacing plastic with paper, introducing Life Cycle Assessment as a means of informing trade policy-making (section 4).
