Environmental Labelling Rules In The WTO System:Analysis Of Theories And Practices

With the Green Tide sweeping over the whole world, countries have carried out various environmental protection measures.Nowadays,environmental labelling as an important measure to protect environment spreads around the world.Despite the environmental labelling can help protect the environment, but as a unilateral measure, it begins to have a negative impact on global trade. The WTO which is the world’s largest multilateral trade organization will play an important role in restrainting environmental labelling.The thesis mainly discusses the environmental labelling in the WTO system based on the text of the treaty and legal practices.Firstly, the thesis introduces the basic concepts of environmental labelling to clarify the theoretical basis in the WTO. Then, the thesis lists WTO rules relating to environmental labelling systematically and analyzes the core provisions. Subsequently,the thesis talks about the US—Measures Concerningthe Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products (US—Tuna II(Mexico)),the case focuses on environmental labeling. Finally, the thesis considers the WTO rules confine a part of environmental labelling, and due to WTO’s defects; it can not eliminate the barriers caused by environmental labelling.