Focusing on the theme of "economy-environment-sustainable development", this paper investigates the causes and background of the emergence of environmental labeling system, environmental control, environmental protection packaging and green industry in contemporary international trade from both theoretical and practical aspects, analyzes and predicts their development trends, and studies their influence on international economy and trade. Analyze and evaluate some different understandings and disputes on these issues in the world; The essence of the relationship between international trade and environment and environmental protection is also discussed. The purpose is to form an overall understanding of the relationship between international trade and environment and environmental protection, and to provide a basis for handling this relationship and making correct environmental protection and international economic and trade decisions.

Trade barriers, world market access, environmental labeling, environmental control, environmental protection, packaging and green industry.

Human society is experiencing an environmental revolution centered on protecting the ecological environment, preventing and reducing environmental pollution, and saving and rationally utilizing natural resources. This revolution has a profound impact on all fields of social and economic life, and international trade is no exception: various environmental awareness, laws, rules and measures increasingly involve the international flow of commodities related to natural resources, human beings, animal and plant life and health, and even extend to the fields of service trade and technology trade, thus "forcing" the basic principles, "rules of the game" and even basic concepts of international trade to change accordingly. Therefore, the issue of "trade and environment" has become the focus of international attention. It has become a challenge for the international community to carefully analyze and study various environmental problems in international trade in theory and correctly handle the relationship among trade, environment and environmental protection in practice.

I. Environmental labeling system and trade barriers

Environmental labels, also known as green labels and ecological labels, are issued to production enterprises by government management departments or non-governmental organizations in accordance with strict procedures and environmental standards, and affixed to products and packaging to show consumers that the whole process of products or services from research and development to production, use and recycling meets the requirements of ecological environment protection. Environmental labeling system plays a unique role in mobilizing all sectors of society to actively participate in environmental protection. First of all, the environmental labeling system embodies a correct idea of environmental management. In modern society, production should be a mode of production that achieves the maximum output with the least resource consumption and the least environmental pollution, and the use and consumption of this output only produces the least pollution to the ecological environment, which requires all-round and whole-process environmental management, from product development, production, packaging, transportation, sales and consumption to waste recycling. The environmental labeling system meets the requirements of this environmental management thought. Secondly, the environmental labeling system is an effective means of environmental management. Relying on compulsory means such as laws and administrative orders for environmental management has its own limitations. For example, the coordination of ecological benefits and economic benefits of social production cannot be guaranteed, but environmental benefits cannot be guaranteed; The market mechanism itself cannot guarantee the maximization of environmental benefits. The combination of administrative compulsion and market mechanism guidance, environmental labeling system is such a system. At the same time, the environmental labeling system has well adapted to the ecological requirements of people in the environmental protection era. Since the 1970s, people's awareness of environmental protection has been increasing, and the demand for "green consumption" has gradually emerged. Consumers from all walks of life are concerned about the impact of various products on the environment, and require the government and authoritative organizations to confirm the impact of products on the environment according to environmental protection standards and inform them in the form of signs and graphics. The environmental labeling system meets this requirement.

The environmental labeling system has developed rapidly since it came into being. In 1970s, Germany first formulated the "Blue Angel Plan" with the nature of environmental labeling system. By 1995, governments of more than 40 countries have introduced environmental labeling systems, such as the "White Swan System" of the four Nordic countries, the "Ecological Labeling System" of Austria, the "EU System" of the European Union, the "Environmental Choice Plan" of Canada and the "Ecological Labeling System" of Japan. In recent years, developing countries and regions have also begun to formulate and implement environmental labeling systems, such as the "ecological labeling system" in South Korea, the "green labeling system" in Singapore and the "environmental labeling system" in Taiwan Province Province of China. Some social organizations have also formulated environmental systems, such as the "scientific certificate system" and "green signature" in the United States and the "good environmental choice" system in Sweden. The Technical Committee on Environmental Management of the International Organization for Standards is studying and formulating an international unified environmental labeling system.

There is no doubt about the unique role of environmental labeling system in environmental protection, but its influence on international trade has caused great controversy. One view is that although the implementation of the environmental labeling system is voluntary and open in principle, domestic and foreign manufacturers are treated equally, in practice, because the selection of related product categories of this system mainly depends on the environmental interests of importing countries, and the formulation of standards for obtaining such labels is also influenced by domestic manufacturers, which will cause discrimination against foreign products, affect the market access of foreign products and reduce their competitiveness, so it is not conducive to the normal development of international trade, and is a kind of "disguised trade barrier".

Developing countries generally believe that the environmental labeling system is more unfavorable to developing countries. Because the environmental standards of products determined by the environmental labeling system are quite high, it is difficult for manufacturers in developing countries to meet this requirement; In order to meet the requirements of environmental labeling, the production of products must change the composition of raw materials and production technology, which is restricted by its economic development level, resource endowment and technical ability. Testing products is very difficult. The cost of environmental labeling is also an extra burden. Therefore, for developing countries, there are only two ways to go: not to apply for environmental labels; Get an environmental label at a high price. The result is to reduce the market access and competitiveness of its products. Therefore, for developing countries, the environmental labeling system is a "disguised trade barrier" and a "new strategy of trade protectionism". Admittedly, there is some truth in the above viewpoint. However, the environmental label system conforms to the basic principles of international trade: environmental labels are voluntarily applied to relevant institutions by domestic and foreign manufacturers, which conforms to the principle of non-discrimination; The environmental labeling system is based on the market economy and conforms to the principle of market opening; When formulating environmental labeling plans, countries publish information such as product categories, standards, evaluation methods, management institutions, application procedures, labeling graphics, labeling fees and labeling certificates at home and abroad, which conforms to the principle of transparency. Therefore, it can be said that the environmental labeling system conforms to the fairness principle of the "rules of the game" in international trade.

It is also undeniable that, in fact, the environmental labeling system has a good role in promoting international trade. First of all, obtaining environmental labels means obtaining an international "green pass", which promotes the development of products with little environmental impact and the improvement of the commodity structure of international trade. Secondly, under this system, the production of products that meet people's requirements to the greatest extent has developed rapidly, thus directly expanding the demand and flow of international commodities, that is, expanding the international trade volume (for example, since the implementation of environmental labels in developed countries in the mid-1980s, the international trade volume of water-soluble coatings has increased by more than 25%). Secondly, the environmental labeling system is conducive to promoting manufacturers to carry out technological innovation, change production technology, adopt environmentally applicable technologies and develop new products, thus contributing to the development of international trade. In addition, environmental labels are the best advertisements for products, which can help manufacturers to establish corporate and product images and improve their competitiveness.

Second, environmental control and international trade policies and product competitiveness.

Environmental control refers to trade restriction measures taken to protect the environment. At present, there are four main environmental control measures around the world:

One is to impose additional taxes on environmental imports on the grounds of environmental protection. For example, the United States imposes an import surcharge of this nature on imported petroleum products.

Second, take compulsory measures to restrict or prohibit imports. This is a widely used environmental control measure, and its general basis is that the production and manufacturing methods of imported products do not meet the environmental requirements of the country. For example, many countries prohibit the import of fur, fur, leather and whale products according to their laws and regulations on wildlife protection; According to the Regulations on the Use of Hazardous Substances, Germany prohibits the import of clothing and textiles using azo dyes. The United States Food and Drug Administration stipulates that all fish sold in the United States must come from waters certified by the United States as unpolluted.