ITC publications bring the business voice to sustainable trade, with a focus on developing countries. We offer guidance for trade policymakers, business support organizations and small firms. Our reports offer insights to make trade more inclusive, green, digital and competitive.
Climate change creates risks for agrifood exporters as extreme weather events and rising temperatures disrupt supply chains and reduce productivity. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises also face risks from new policies, regulations and technologies designed to address climate change. Some...
Medicinal and aromatic plants are key ingredients to food, cosmetic and medicinal consumer products. The medicinal plants market alone was valued at over $3 billion in 2015 and is expanding as the use of natural ingredients grows. This guide provides all that an exporter needs to describe a...
Many climate-smart technologies exist in Pakistan to help farmers adapt to climate change. These include commercially available technologies and those developed locally. Various factors hinder their uptake, limiting climate resilience.
International business investors can embed sustainability in each step of their operations. This guide describes the social, environmental and economic practices that international firms must understand when entering a new market.
Cotton by-products – such as cottonseed oil and oilcakes – can contribute meaningfully to reducing poverty, creating jobs and increasing economic growth in Africa. These derivatives can represent up to 30% of the value of seed cotton. Yet oil and cakes have not been fully exploited, despite a...
The rhinoceros faces the risk of extinction in the wild if current poaching rates continue. Viet Nam, a main market, uses horn as an ingredient in Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM). An ITC survey of 1000 consumers of TAM, including 239 rhino horn users, found they preferred rhino horn that is...
Climate change is reducing the competitiveness of agricultural exports from developing countries as far apart as Peru and Uganda, according to an ITC survey of agri-food exporters in these countries. The exporters call on their governments to integrate climate change into long-term,...
The right mix of national trade policy and regulations can give businesses export competitiveness and a jump-start in global value chains. This guide brings together the combination of policy instruments to lift export competitiveness: tariffs and non-tariff measures; trade facilitation initiatives;...
Stronger ties between African cotton producers/ginners and Asian buyers can improve the market positioning of African cotton. The African-Asian cotton trade has great potential. This study examines African challenges to improve along the value chain to meet Asia’s growing demand. It reviews ITC...
Enhanced economic cooperation among Commonwealth states could boost trade integration despite differences in terms of geographic location and economic development. This paper employs up to date trade statistics to analyse the export performances of the member states of the Commonwealth, recognising...
A comparison of sustainability schemes, as well as an overview of the trends in the markets for specialty and sustainable coffees. Coffee niche markets provide opportunities for producers in developing countries to increase their incomes. This paper, drawn from ITC’s new book on the coffee trade,...
This paper aims to guide exporters of agricultural products through the process of product carbon footprinting so as to make it easier for them to understand the processes involved, improve their environmental performance and ultimately to reduce the costs for their business. This paper presents a...
