Trade system change: An interdisciplinary proposal for true sustainability and planetary health

Attempts to reform trade to meet ecological, cultural and social goals alongside economic imperatives have not caught up with the expansion of trade. This paper proposes ways to meet this challenge and designs an original framework – the Planetary Welcare framework – for the analyses of production and consumption systems. The framework, which adopts an interdisciplinary approach to development, equity, sustainability and planetary health, brings together five interlinked principles on well-being, consumption, accountability beyond borders, reconciliation between international and place-based policymaking, and the environment. The paper first develops the framework and then applies it to the high-level strategies of the World Trade Organization and the International Fair Trade Charter, highlighting their differences and challenges. The paper demonstrates how the Planetary Welcare framework provides a relatively simple yet comprehensive set of principles to explore how production and consumption systems, including trade agreements, could contribute to achieving the highest attainable standard of health, well-being, and equity worldwide.