Sustainable development is enshrined in the WTO's founding agreement and, since the inception of WTO in 1995, environmental issues have become increasingly prominent.

In November 2020, a group of WTO members launched an initiative to explore how the WTO could contribute to efforts to reduce plastics pollution and promote the transition to more environmentally sustainable trade in plastics.

The Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade is open to all WTO members and seeks to complement discussions in the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) and other fora.

The Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) is also intended to complement the work of the CTE and other relevant WTO bodies, to support the objectives of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO, which envisages a global trading system that protects and preserves the environment in accordance with sustainable development.

The Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender was established on 23 September 2020 to strengthen the WTO's efforts to increase women's participation in global trade. To-date, it consists of 127 WTO members and observers. The work of the Working Group is based on four pillars:

• reviewing analytical work undertaken
• experience sharing
• considering the concept and scope for a “gender lens”
• contributing to the Aid for Trade work programme
   

In February 2021, the Working Group adopted a Work Plan to help advance their activities and to focus their work towards the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference. This work focuses on developing a better understanding of the trade and gender nexus and how gender is integrated into members’ trade policies.