Commodities and sustainability in international trade treaties: insights from the EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

This article examines how the EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) addresses sustainability challenges linked to commodity trade, focusing on palm oil and nickel. 

It reviews key CEPA provisions on sustainable development, energy and raw materials, sustainable food systems and sustainable palm oil, and considers how effectively they respond to real-world environmental and social concerns. 

While the agreement introduces innovative ways to integrate sustainability into trade rules, the article argues that stronger approaches are needed to reflect bottom-up visions of sustainability and the priorities of communities most affected by expanding commodity production.