At a meeting on 7 February 2022, World Trade Organisation (WTO) members reviewed a proposed 2022 work plan for the new initiative on trade and environmental sustainability. The draft work plan includes the proposed work areas for the formal meetings of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD).

The TESSD includes 71 WTO members as co-sponsors. The TESSD discussions commenced in November 2020 and are exploring ways to promote transparency and information sharing on the relevant issues, in addition to supporting technical assistance and capacity building in particular for least-developed countries. At the launch of the discussions in November 2020 the WTO Deputy Director expressed the hope that the work of the group would make a contribution to eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers in environmental goods and services, and reforming inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

A Ministerial Statement on Trade and Environmental Sustainability, released in December 2021, outlined future work for the TESSD initiative in trade and climate change, trade in environmental goods and services, the circular economy and sustainable supply chains.

The work areas for the TESSD initiative in 2022 as outlined in the Ministerial Statement of December 2021 would explore trade-related climate measures and policies; facilitation of trade in environmental goods and services; achieving a more resource-efficient circular economy; promotion of sustainable supply chains and issues around sustainability standards; the challenges and opportunities of sustainable trade; capacity building and technical assistance; and the environmental and trade impacts of relevant subsidies.

Input for TESSD meetings will be requested from academia, international organizations, civil society, non-governmental organizations and the business community. Informal working groups will be engaging in more detailed discussions and advanced work on trade related climate measures; environmental goods and services; and the circular economy.

At the February 2022 TESSD meeting the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) presented a study on The Circular Economy and International Trade: Options for the World Trade Organization. The study examines the role of international trade under a circular economy transition, trade-related policy measures to support the transition and the role of the WTO. The WTO would serve as a negotiating forum, promoting transparency and policy dialogue and would also have a role in technical assistance and capacity building.