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International Trade, News, United Kingdom

The International Trade Council is pleased to announce that the United Kingdom has successfully joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). After 21 months of negotiations, the UK has become the first non-founding member of the 11-nation trade bloc, which includes Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Vietnam, and Malaysia. This significant achievement expands […]

Growth in ‘Green Goods’ Amid Global Trade Slowdown

March 28, 2023

News, Sustainable Trade

The International Trade Council (ITC) acknowledges the recent findings from UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update, which highlight a slowdown in global trade in 2022. However, the report also brings attention to a silver lining in the form of ‘green goods,’ which showed significant growth, defying the overall downward trend. Global trade hit a record $32 […]

International Trade Council Announces ChinaÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s Lifting of Brazilian Beef Import Ban Ahead of LulaÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s Visit

March 24, 2023

Brazil, China, News, Trade Relations

The International Trade Council welcomes China’s agreement to immediately resume imports of Brazilian beef, which were halted voluntarily by Brazilian authorities on February 23, following the discovery of an atypical case of mad cow disease. This decision comes days ahead of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to China to expand trade relations […]

EU CAP Strategic Plans (2023–2027) – Agricultural Supply Chain Reporting

March 22, 2023

With the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plans now in force since January 2023, the European Union has taken a definitive step toward making agricultural supply chains more transparent. The strategic plans for 2023–2027 introduce a layered set of obligations for member states, particularly around reporting data on farm inputs. The intention is clear […]

ITC Acknowledges Sri Lanka’s $3bn IMF Bailout as a Step towards Economic Stability

March 20, 2023

Economic Development, News, Sri Lanka

The International Trade Council (ITC) recognizes the recent $3bn ( Ã‚Â£2.4bn) bailout provided to Sri Lanka by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a crucial lifeline for the country amidst its severe economic crisis. Sri Lanka’s struggling economy, compounded by the impact of the pandemic, rising energy prices, populist tax cuts, and high inflation, […]

Mapping Urban Informal Settlements with ISIC-Informed Economic Data

March 20, 2023

Anyone who’s worked on urban policy, especially in rapidly growing cities, knows there’s always more going on than the maps let on. The neighborhoods that never quite make it onto official plans—informal settlements, slums, whatever label you use—are often economic engines in their own right. The question isn’t just where these communities are, but how […]

US National Defense Authorization Act (2021) – Rare Earth Element Supply Chain Security

March 8, 2023

Since the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in January 2021, there has been heightened attention to the vulnerabilities in the rare earth element (REE) supply chains. Section 817, in particular, represents one of the more decisive policy moves aimed at fortifying the United States’ position in securing these critical inputs. The provision […]

International Trade Council Highlights Record High US-China Trade Amid Rising Tensions

February 28, 2023

China, International Trade, News, United States

Despite escalating diplomatic tensions, trade between the United States and China reached a record high in 2022, with imports and exports totaling $690.6 billion, according to official figures. This development showcases the continued interdependence between the world’s two largest economies, even in the context of an ongoing trade war since 2018. The new data reveals […]

Leveraging ISIC for Assessing Healthcare System Resilience

February 25, 2023

If there’s anything the last few years have made clear, it’s that resilience in healthcare isn’t just about having enough hospital beds or the right stockpile of supplies. It’s about the entire architecture—how resources, infrastructure, and personnel come together in the face of crisis. But when policymakers and researchers set out to measure this resilience, […]

EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019) – EPR Implementation (2022)

February 22, 2023

EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019) – EPR Implementation (2022)

The year 2022 marked a significant turning point in the enforcement of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) provisions under the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive of 2019. For beverage manufacturers, the shift was more than just regulatory noise—it forced a deeper reckoning with supply chain transparency and accountability. Producers of plastic beverage containers, among others, now carry […]

Canada’s Digital Charter Implementation Act (2022) – Supply Chain Data Privacy

February 8, 2023

The passage of Canada’s Digital Charter Implementation Act, better known as Bill C-27, in November 2022 has stirred fresh debate among logistics professionals, legal experts, and policymakers alike. Its implications for supply-chain data privacy are only beginning to be fully digested. At its core, the legislation aims to modernize privacy law, introducing stricter standards for […]

ISIC-Based Benchmarking of Export Competitiveness

January 30, 2023

It’s easy to get swept up in the big numbers—total exports, year-on-year growth, the headlines about “winning sectors.” But behind every trade success story is a quieter, more intricate reality: how sectors actually stack up, both at home and abroad. For policymakers, investors, and analysts, the real question isn’t just how much a country exports, […]

Linking ISIC to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting

January 26, 2023

As corporate social responsibility (CSR) moves from the margins to the mainstream of global business, the challenge for regulators, investors, and the public has become one of substance over style. Almost every large company publishes a glossy sustainability report, but comparing one company’s performance with another—especially across industries—remains notoriously difficult. The International Standard Industrial Classification […]

Japan’s Act on Promotion of Resource Recycling (2020) – E-Waste Supply Chain Transparency (2022)

January 25, 2023

The issue of e-waste, though hardly new, has in recent years grown into something of an unavoidable topic within both regulatory and corporate circles in Japan. The 2020 Act on Promotion of Resource Recycling was designed with a clear objective: to move beyond scattered initiatives and impose a coherent framework that would drive transparency and […]

Secretary Grant Shapps Expresses Concern Over Potential Impact of Biden’s Green Subsidies on Global Trade

January 20, 2023