Standards, Labeling and Certification [Prepared for Trade and Climate Change Seminar, June 2008] (IAE/CIEL) (August 2008)

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This paper will look at two types of standards: product standards that describe a good’s characteristics, such as energy efficiency; and standards that describe how a good was made, based on processes and production methods (PPMs), such as carbon-intensity for manufacturing. For both types, the paper asks how they might be better used to aid efforts to address climate change, and what types of obstacles might need to be considered. In the area of process standards, the obstacles that trade policy might address are primarily challenges of international cooperation. In the area of PPM-based standards, in addition to the lack of international cooperation, the obstacles also relate to international trade law.

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