Trade and the environment
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Australia is involved in the negotiation of free trade agreements on an ongoing basis. Free trade agreements are designed to remove barriers to trade, promote economic integration, and can increase environmental standards in participating countries.
The department was involved in the negotiation of the Environment Chapter of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. The Environment Chapter promotes the effective enforcement of domestic environmental laws and lays the foundation for parties to work together to address a range of trade-related environmental challenges, such as protecting the ozone layer and combatting illegal wildlife trade. The department is also involved in the Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations.
This agreement will eliminate tariffs on environmental goods making them cheaper and more accessible. The goods under negotiation include equipment for air pollution control, solid and hazardous waste management, environmental remediation and clean-up, cleaner and renewable energy, energy and resource efficiency, wastewater management and water treatment, noise and vibration abatement, environmental monitoring, analysis and assessment, and ‘environmentally-preferable’ products.