Mahesh Sugathan is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS), and an independent trade and sustainability expert. His research and analysis on trade and investment policies, negotiations and agreements relevant to sustainable development spans issues such as environmental technologies and services, plastic pollution and plastic substitutes, climate change, agriculture, biodiversity, and clean energy, to circular economy, product standards and labelling.

Mahesh has been a consultant for a range of international organisations including the World Bank, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the ACP Secretariat.

Selected Publications

• Deere Birkbeck, C., Sugathan, M., & Ardila Eraso, S. (2022). The WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution: Overview and state of play. Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS).
  
• Sugathan, M. (2022). Aid for trade priorities on plastic pollution. Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS).
  
• Bellmann, C., Deere Birkbeck, C., Kettunen, M., & Sugathan, M. (2022). Trade and environment at the World Trade Organization: State of play and entry points. Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS).
  
• Bellmann, C. & Sugathan, M. (2022). Promoting and facilitating trade in environmental goods and services: Lessons from regional trade agreements. Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS).
  
• Deere Birkbeck, C., Barrowclough, D., Sugathan, M., Bellmann, C., & Souza Campos Rodrigues, L. (2023). Trends in trade flows across the life cycle of plastics: Preliminary Review. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the
  SDGs (TESS).