Overview

Over the past few centuries, the world has undergone an aggressive transition towards global trade, which has ultimately resulted in huge amounts of goods and services being imported and exported on a worldwide scale. Global trade exists at various points along the product value chain, including trade in second-hand goods, end-of-life products, secondary materials and waste, as well as trade in related services.[1] Governments often impose tariffs upon this cross-border trade in goods and services, which in turn influences the trade, production and consumption patterns, as well as the welfare of states and their trading partners.[2] During the early days of global trade, the imposition of tariffs involved simple lists of goods and the relevant payable amounts, which were usually set in relation to consignments or quantities or as a percentage of value.[3] However, with the ever-increasing range and complexity of goods, global trade’s demand for detailed information has also grown and now includes data on international trade patterns.[4]