What Drives the Transfer of Embodied Pollutant Emissions in International Trade? Evidence from the Light Industry Sector

The light industry sector provides enormous amounts of daily necessities and critical basic industrial materials, allowing it substantial influence over the pollutant emissions embodied in international trade (PEEIT). Yet the characteristics and drivers of its PEEIT are poorly known. This study combined structural decomposition analysis with an input–output analytical framework to understand what economies, industries, and socioeconomic factors could be targeted to reduce these PEEIT. Results show that the PEEIT of 16 light industries in 40 economies was enormous and increased, with fluctuation, from 2000 to 2014, with high industrial and regional concentration and a noticeable long tail. Trade in intermediate products drove profound variations in the PEEIT. Changes in emission intensity and production dependence were the dominant drivers, followed by changes in the consumption and trade scales. The consumption and trade structures had smaller effects. These findings provide valuable information for customizing sectoral emission reduction priorities.