India needs enabling ecosystem for green trade, says Commerce Secretary

New Delhi: Sustainability regulations and unilateral environmental measures have become enduring features of the global trading system, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Friday, while underlining the need to create an enabling ecosystem to help industry adopt sustainable practices.

Agrawal made the remarks at a workshop on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) organised by the Department of Commerce, where India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, the Indian Carbon Market, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, and the country's accreditation and conformity assessment ecosystem were discussed.

"Agrawal emphasised that Trade and Sustainable Development is a cross-sectoral policy issue requiring an integrated approach encompassing trade, industry, sustainability and competitiveness," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.


The workshop featured four thematic sessions on India's domestic carbon framework, global trends in TSD provisions in free trade agreements (FTAs), the evolving global carbon regulatory framework, and strategic options for shaping India's future approach to Trade and Sustainable Development.

It was the first in a proposed series of consultations aimed at strengthening India's strategic approach to TSD in the context of evolving global trade disciplines and ongoing FTA negotiations.

"He observed that early adaptation would strengthen India's global competitiveness and better position the country to respond to the evolving international trade landscape," the ministry said.

The discussions focused on the growing importance of sustainability-related measures, including carbon markets, carbon pricing mechanisms, carbon border adjustment measures, sustainability standards, and regulatory cooperation, as well as their implications for India's trade and industrial competitiveness.