The recent rise of industrial policies is often seen as the response to the pushback against some of the green policies that dominated the last decade. Multiple election results in 2025 and 2026 were driven by the electorates’ concerns about the state of the economy, employment, and social issues, putting the issues of the planet on the back burner.

Yet many of the new industrial policies are still carrying the green flag: governments are trying to get a stronger foothold in the markets of the future.

What does that mean for the trade policy and the global trade playbook? How are the workers and businesses impacted by the new governmental activism across the globe?

This session will aim to define the important decisions that await policymakers trying to make trade and industrial policies work together for a more sustainable future.

Speakers:

Alice TIPPING, Director – Trade and Sustainable Development, IISD

George RIDDELL, Managing Director, Goyder Ltd

Michael LAWRENCE, Executive Director, South African Clothing Retailers Federation

Kitrhona CERRI, Executive Director, TASC Platform