The Law of Environmental “PPMs” in the WTO: Debunking the Myth of Illegality

Processes and Production Methods (PPMs) are the subject of one of the most knotty controversies in the debate over “trade and environment”. At issue is the appropriateness of imposing trade measures contingent on the production process. Commentators often claim that the World Trade Organization (WTO) prohibits PPM-based restrictions affecting trade. Such claims have convinced many environmentalists that the WTO-led trading system interferes with ecological protection…