WTO Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) Working Group on Circular Economy - Circularity Member Meeting

The Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) is one of the environmental initiatives in the World Trade Organization (WTO) aimed at looking at how international trade can support the achievement of environmental objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals.  It is coordinated by the Ambassadors of Canada and Costa Rica. Currently, over 75 WTO Members participate in the discussions across four thematic working groups: (i) Trade-related Climate Change Measures, (ii) Environmental Goods and Services, (iii) Circular Economy - Circularity, and (iv) Subsidies.

 

This meeting of the Working Group on Circular Economy-Circularity focused on trade facilitation and waste aspects of circular trade, including end-of-life electronics. It was facilitated by Ms Olivia Cook, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Chile to the WTO, and Dr Kazunari Morii, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Japan.

 

At the meeting, Circular Innovation Lab presented the findings of our recently conducted "Study on items shipped for reuse and Extended Producer Responsibility fees: A case for extending EU EPR fees to cover end-of-life activities of products shipped outside the EU" to the WTO members.