Businesses in Bangladesh — particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and exporters — must ensure their operations meet international sustainability standards and that their supply chains do not harm the environment, according to Mahbubur Rahman, president of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh.
Speaking at the inauguration of a webinar organised by ICC headquarters and the International Trade Centre (ITC), Rahman said SMEs, cooperatives, exporters and small producers must now demonstrate that their supply chains are “deforestation-free, traceable, and aligned with global sustainability standards”. The event, titled Get Ready for EUDR: Live Demo of the Geolocation & Risk Assessment Tool, underscored the growing urgency of complying with regulations such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
To support companies, the ICC and ITC have launched the Deforestation-Free Trade Gateway (DFTG), an online platform offering resources to help producers and cooperatives meet EUDR requirements. The platform enables seamless data sharing with potential business partners, helping safeguard market access. Pilot programmes are already underway in several countries.
For Business Support Organisations (BSOs), the DFTG provides tools to fill data gaps, assess deforestation risks, and share verified information with trade partners — steps that can strengthen compliance and expand international market opportunities.
Rahman said the EUDR represents a major shift for global value chains, ensuring that international trade becomes more competitive, transparent, environmentally responsible and resilient. He noted that the regulation provides a unified digital system for data collection, verification, traceability, and risk assessment, helping smallholders and exporters participate more effectively.
Referring to ITC’s pilot projects, Rahman said they demonstrate the collaboration, innovation and shared responsibility needed for global EUDR compliance. He added that the DFTG platform will allow ICC Bangladesh and its members to improve supply chain transparency, close data gaps and support exporters in maintaining overseas market access.
“As global trade becomes increasingly sustainability-driven, businesses — especially smaller ones — must be prepared, capable and competitive,” he said. “Bangladesh’s future export growth will depend not only on product quality and price but also on ethical, traceable and responsible value chains.”
