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The world traded about in 2021 – enough to fill over 18 million trucks. The queue would wrap around the globe 13 times! Since , most of the products will end up littering our streets and flooding our seas. But nature abounds in sustainable materials (bamboo, sand, banana plants, algae) that could be used to make eco-friendly versions of straws, shopping bags, bottles, food wrappers and other plastic products.

Plastic substitutes could cut global plastic waste by – about 63 million tonnes less, or 3.5 million fewer trucks in the queue. “Besides the benefits to the planet, the shift offers economic opportunities,” said Henrique Pacini, an economist working on trade and environment issues. “But countries and companies have to work together and across borders to and reduce trade barriers."

The country’s online system is making it to access the benefits of registering their company with the government.

The current food crisis, triggered by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, is different, says, because of a stronger US dollar - creating a ‘double burden’ for developing countries.

Global trade should hit a record $32 trillion for 2022, but a slowdown that began in the second half of the year is expected to worsen in 2023 according to ’s&�Բ�����;.

Hemp is an amazing plant that is eco-friendly and used in food products, biofuels, textiles and even building materials. Its global market could hit $18.6 billion by 2027, a new  says.

Celebrating female entrepreneurship, a recent tells the stories of 21 women from developing countries who’ve defied a myriad of challenges to build successful businesses.

A new calls for increased investment in maritime supply chains. Ports, shipping fleets and hinterland connections need better prepare for future global crises and climate change.

As nations convene for COP27, has set out the actions needed to ensure global efforts towards a low-carbon future don’t leave least developed countries (LDCs) behind.

A new report by explores how urban entrepreneurs, or urbanpreneurs, use innovative solutions to tackle challenges triggered by rapid urbanization and drive the expansion of smart cities.

A recent  shows how the Black Sea Grain Initiative, effected to resume exports of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea amid the ongoing war, has offered hope and shown the power of trade in times of crisis. The report underlines why it’s critical to renew the initiative next month. Thanks to the initiative, port activity in Ukraine is picking up and large shipments of grain are reaching world markets. The total tonnage of grain and other foodstuffs exported through the initiative had reached almost 8 million metric tons.

’s eTrade readiness assessment for Peru will provide diagnostics of how the country is taking advantage of digitalization and e-commerce for development.

Africa’s economic activity is expected to expand by a moderate 2.7% in 2022 and 2.4% in 2023, following a rebound of 5.1% in 2021, according to .

Monetary and fiscal policy in advanced economies risk pushing the world towards recession and prolonged stagnation, inflicting worse damage than the financial crisis in 2008 and the COVID-19 shock in 2020, warns in its . According to the report, rapid interest rate increases and fiscal tightening in advanced economies combined with the cascading crises resulting from the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine have already turned a global slowdown into a downturn with the desired soft landing looking unlikely.

After two years of incredible gains, the prices of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have plunged in recent months; and more turbulence is likely, according to the UN trade and development agency, .

In its latest , the Geneva-based agency is talking about cryptocurrencies with economist Marina Zucker of UNCTAD’s debt and development finance branch.

Are cryptocurrencies here to stay? Is it time for governments to regulate them? Tune in to hear Ms. Zucker spell out the risks and share her ideas about solutions.

Audio Credit: UNCTAD

Photo Credit: Unsplash/André François McKenz

In the second episode of their Weekly Tradecast featured in   talks to Paul Akiwumi, Director of the Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programme division. Soaring food and energy prices are hitting especially hard as the region struggles with the impact of the pandemic and climate change. The continent of 1.4 billion people relies heavily on grain and other essentials from Ukraine and Russia – exposing them to shortages and crippling costs that imperil development. Mr. Akiwumi, who led the production of the UN trade and development body’s latest , says that to cope with this crisis and insulate itself for the future, Africa must rethink how it diversifies its economies to attract investment and narrow huge income gaps.