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Beyond the transaction: commodity trade and sustainable development

Interdisciplinary literature review

This report takes stock of the current evidence on commodity trade and global sustainable development across the academic disciplines of law, economics, environmental, political and social sciences.

Beyond the transaction commodity trade and sustainable development literatur review

Commodities represent around 33% of global trade in goods. Commodity trade links primary extraction and production with processing, manufacturing and consumption, thereby connecting distant ecologies and social realities. Commodity trade is not merely a neutral service enabling the world economy; rather, it is an integral component that actively shapes production systems, investment patterns, and global value chains. Commodity trading delivers not just materials and goods, but also economic, environmental, and social impacts − whether intentionally or not. Moreover, commodity trade sits at the fault line where geopolitics and geoeconomics increasingly converge.

Trading hubs in Switzerland, the US, the UK, Singapore or Hong Kong, among others, play a key role in global commodity trading. They serve as nodes anchoring global networks of material, informational, and financial flows while competing for strategic and regulatory advantage. Public policy faces the challenge of balancing trade facilitation, supply chain resilience, and long-term sustainable development.

This report takes stock of the current evidence on commodity trade and global sustainable development across the academic disciplines of law, economics, environmental, political and social sciences. It considers hard and soft commodities, as well as derivatives trading.

Source: Brugger F, Carbonnier G, Depoorter C, Elsig M, Fischer F, Grabs J, Haller L, Kaufmann C, Kesselring R, Leins S, Luciani G, Nadakavukaren Schefer K, Nerlinger M, Pfister S, Wettstein F, Winkler MS (2026) Beyond the transaction: commodity trade and sustainable development. Swiss Academies Reports 21 (2). DOI: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20050770

Sujets correspondants

Cover report "Beyond the transaction: Commodity trade and sustainable development"

Le négoce des matières premières pourrait être un levier particulièrement puissant pour un développement durable

Les activités de négoce des matières premières représentent un tiers du commerce mondial et ont une influence considérable sur le développement durable. Dans l'étude scientifique la plus complète à ce

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Des matières premières profitables aux pays en développement

Des matières premières profitables aux pays en développement - Impacts locaux, connexions globales et lacunes de connaissances

En complément d’un précédent factsheet consacré au rôle de la Suisse, plaque tournante de ce négoce, nous examinons ici les questions qui se posent dans les pays en développement, et

Swiss Academies Factsheets Vol. 11, No 1, 2016: Switzerland  and the Commodities Trade

Switzerland and the Commodities Trade

Switzerland has recently emerged as one of the world’s most important hubs in the global trade of commodities. But its rise has been accompanied by concerns about transparency, appropriate regulation,

WTI Working Paper July 2015: The Commodity Sector and Related Governance Challenges from a Sustainable Development Perspective: The Example of Switzerland

The Commodity Sector and Related Governance Challenges from a Sustainable Development Perspective: The Example of Switzerland

This working paper was written in the context of the project "Global change and Developing Countries: Why should we care?” managed by the Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries

Catégories

  • Commerce
  • Matières premières

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