Some of the featured remarks from Olson’s presentation included:

For the first time in STI’s history, there is a tie for first place between Japan and South Korea. Both countries have been mainstays in the top five, but 2020 marks the first time for either to rank first.
America’s protectionist stance on trade prevented it from reaching the top five. Between Oct 2018 - Nov 2019, the U.S. enacted 841 tariffs and 1430 non-tariff barriers.

Olson explored some of the policy implications of the STI 2020. According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of sustainable trade principles. He pointed out some of the policy implications arising from the STI 2020.

Economic pillar: Avoid over-dependency in trade
Social pillar: Political stability helps ensure public buy-in for pandemic policies
Environment: Stewardship helps head-off future zoonotic disease

Olson further said there is optimism that pandemic could lead to advancement in sustainable trade. Businesses and investors are becoming proactive on sustainability and putting strong commitments to “build back better”, he noted.

However, concerns were also raised that economic distress could raise the temptation for economies to cut labor and environmental protections. He highlighted Indonesia’s “Omnibus Bill” that reduced red tape and rolled back environmental and labor standards to entice foreign direct investment and become a more attractive market for the businesses.

Olson feels this is an incorrect assumption as businesses are frequently ahead of the government in advancing sustainable trade.