The Role Of Trade Law In Shaping Sustainable Business Practices

ABSTRACT
This research critically examines the role of trade law in shaping sustainable business practices in India, with a focus on the intersection of international obligations, domestic legal frameworks, and corporate behavior. Drawing on doctrinal analysis of WTO agreements, free trade agreements, Indian trade policies, and corporate sustainability disclosures, the study demonstrates how trade-linked legal and policy instruments influence firms’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. The analysis reveals that while trade law provisions exert normative and economic pressure on Indian businesses to adopt sustainability initiatives, significant gaps remain in policy coherence, enforceability, and sector-wide adoption. Comparative insights with global best practices highlight India’s relative underutilization of binding sustainability commitments in trade agreements, limited ESG reporting coverage, and weak stakeholder engagement in policymaking. The paper argues that a more integrated legal and policy approach—combining enforceable trade-linked sustainability provisions, broader ESG disclosure mandates, institutional coordination, and market-based incentives—can foster sustainable development while enhancing India’s global competitiveness. These findings have important implications for policymakers, managers, and scholars at the intersection of management and law, particularly as India seeks to align its trade and corporate governance regimes with global sustainability norms.
Keywords: Trade law; Corporate governance; Free trade agreements; Business responsibility; Sustainable development.

摘要
本研究批判性审视了贸易法在塑造印度可持续商业实践中的作用，重点聚焦国际义务、国内法律框架与企业行为的交叉领域。本研究依托世界贸易组织（World Trade Organization, WTO）协定、自由贸易协定、印度贸易政策及企业可持续性披露的教义学分析，阐明了贸易关联型法律与政策工具对企业环境、社会及公司治理（Environmental, Social and Governance, ESG）实践的影响路径。分析显示，尽管贸易法条款为印度企业采纳可持续发展举措施加了规范性与经济层面的双重压力，但在政策连贯性、可执行性及全行业推广层面仍存在显著缺口。结合全球最佳实践开展的比较研究表明，印度在贸易协定中对约束性可持续发展承诺的利用相对不足，ESG报告覆盖范围有限，且利益相关方在政策制定中的参与度偏弱。本文提出，应采取更为整合的法律与政策路径——融合可执行的贸易关联型可持续条款、更广泛的ESG披露要求、跨机构协调机制与市场激励措施——既能推动可持续发展，又可提升印度的全球竞争力。上述研究结论对管理与法学交叉领域的政策制定者、企业管理者及学者具有重要参考价值，尤其在印度致力于将其贸易与公司治理体系与全球可持续规范接轨的背景下，这一价值更为凸显。
关键词：贸易法；公司治理；自由贸易协定；企业责任；可持续发展。