Sustainability

<p>The International Trade Centre (ITC) is hosting a webinar on ‘Demystifying the EU’s carbon policies and impact on trade' on Thursday, 19 May from 14H00 - 16H00 CET. This is the second webinar in ITC's ‘Unpacking the EU’s Green Initiatives' webinar series.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>In today’s increasingly complex, fast-paced and highly regulated world, the ability of countries, producers, traders and service providers to access markets and take advantage of the opportunities provided in trade agreements is premised on the ability to be aware of and adapt to environmental rules and requirements.</strong> <strong>For developing countries, however, such&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://intracen.org/resources/publications/sme-competitiveness-outlook… regulations are often perceived as obstacles to their business</strong></a><strong>.</strong> Accordingly, targeted support is required for developing countries, particularly SMEs, to understand and comply with these regulations, ensure that it does not become a barrier to trade, and enable businesses to &nbsp;leverage opportunities arising from green and sustainable trade.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p><strong>The EU has been pioneering efforts to facilitate this transition to green and sustainable trade through a host of regulatory initiatives.</strong> ITC's first webinar in this series introduced the various EU regulatory initiatives underway to facilitate the green transition covering the measures to achieve carbon neutrality, develop sustainable supply chains, and strengthen trade in sustainable products, among others. <strong>In the second webinar, ITC will delve into the specific EU policies and regulatory initiatives being implemented to achieve the carbon neutrality through trade.&nbsp;</strong></p><p>The <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-… Green Deal</a> sets out a framework for Europe to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (in other words – carbon neutrality). An intermediate target has been set to reduce GHG by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_3541">EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ package</a> was introduced as a series of interconnected proposals to achieve this goal. Rules are being created to achieve these goals, including through mechanisms to reduce emissions, investments in green technologies, and trade. Regulatory initiatives with direct trade implications - such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU Renewable Energy Directive, and the revision of the Emissions Trading System, are all examples of measures proposed by the European Commission in this context. These carbon regulatory measures may pose market access risks for exporting SMEs, but also present business opportunities for companies in identifying and reducing carbon footprints now to gain secure, preferential trade access later. Overcoming these risks and leveraging business opportunities, however, requires significant actions by SMEs to be able to assess and reduce their carbon footprints, and demonstrate their carbon credentials in a manner compliant with the prospective EU regulations.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Through this webinar, ITC will present the EU’s carbon related regulations in the context of how these will translate into the trade policy framework, and domestic measures required by developing countries to create a conducive framework for businesses, particularly SMEs, to align with carbon related regulations and become more competitive players in the market. &nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Register in advance on Zoom to obtain the link to attend the webinar:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://intracen.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_npGXbCDQShe5Y-OOBNvGnA"><s…;

<p>The GTEX MENATEX project in Egypt is entering its 3rd year of implementation and it is now time to take stock of the numerous results achieved by beneficiary companies. As the world is recovering from the pandemic and as demand in textile and garment is slowly picking up, Egyptian manufacturers are more than ever confronted to the needs of becoming even more competitive while complying to strict environmental and social standards. The GTEX MENATEX project is supporting companies to be better equipped to face these issues and promote the “Made in Egypt” brand in international markets as a sourcing destination which is reliable, efficient but also conscious of environment and respectful of its workers.</p>

<p><strong>The International Trade Centre delivered the first webinar of its three-part webinar series on ‘Unpacking the EU’s green initiatives' on 14 April 2022, 09.30 - 11.30am CET.</strong></p><p>Trade is a pivotal instrument for creating policies and regulations that set the framework conditions to usher in a green economy and foster green trade opportunities for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). <strong>With environmental sustainability and climate resilience becoming important determinants of enterprise competitiveness</strong>, it is increasingly important for MSMEs to understand, adapt to and leverage opportunities in green trade; and for governments to have in place the required regulatory, policy and institutional frameworks to enable businesses to comply with greener standards as well as to meet shifting consumer demands; and facilitate operations to become less resource-intensive and more environmentally sustainable.</p><p><strong>The EU is implementing several initiatives to mainstream environmental sustainability and green growth into its trade policy framework&nbsp;</strong>– including through dedicated chapters on trade and sustainable development in its FTAs, environmental commitments to access preferences under its GSP schemes, and various regulatory initiatives relating to sustainable products and supply chains, climate change mitigation, etc.</p><p><strong>The aim of this webinar was to introduce stakeholders to the various EU green initiatives and regulatory developments which have an impact on trade and developing countries access to the EU market.&nbsp;</strong>This webinar demonstrated the importance of being up to date on such initiatives and participants discussed how it can impact exports from developing countries seeking to access the EU market.</p>