Commodity trading in Switzerland, explained

Series Switzerland Explained, Episode 8:

Our daily lives depend on it, yet commodity trading is an opaque business. This video explains how Switzerland came to play such an important role in this fundamental industry.

Our clothes, our food and the energy that keeps us going all reached us thanks to commodity trading. However, most discussions about the sector focus on the controversies that surround it, like corruption, deforestation and human rights violations.

Who is involved in commodity trading, and what exactly do they do? How is it that tiny landlocked Switzerland accounts for 22% of global commodities shipping? And what is the Alpine nation doing to regulate this essential yet controversial sector?

Series Switzerland Explained

• Episode 1: 1. How the Swiss asylum system works
• Episode 2: 2. The reality of climate change in Switzerland
• Episode 3: 3. How Switzerland is trying to combat climate change
• Episode 4: 4. Why is Switzerland so expensive?
• Episode 5: 5. What is it like to work in Switzerland?
• Episode 6: 6. Switzerland’s four languages
• Episode 7: 7. How to become Swiss
• Episode 8: 8. Commodity trading in Switzerland, explained