Trade and Market Development

FACT strengthens sustainable commodity trade by helping countries build credible, traceable, and inclusive supply chains – from smallholder farms to global markets.

Through the Trade and Market Development theme, FACT brings together producer and consumer countries to:

Share knowledge and best practices for sustainable commodity production.;
Explore approaches market recognition of sustainably produced products.;
Support smallholder inclusion in sustainability initiatives.;
Strengthen national frameworks so they meet international regulations and voluntary standards.

FACT’s Trade and Market Development work focuses on enabling countries to strengthen sustainability in commodity supply chains – including palm oil, cocoa, coffee, soy, beef and timber – while connecting local production to global markets.

FACT facilitates dialogue and learning among producer and consumer countries to:

Support structured collaboration and peer exchange on sustainable production and market recognition across commodities and regions;

Identify common factors for sustainable production, drawing on experiences across different commodities and regions;

Explore pathways for market recognition of sustainably produced goods, ensuring that local producers can meet international expectations.;

Highlight approaches that support smallholder farmers, so sustainability initiatives are inclusive and equitable;

Share practical lessons on designing and implementing national sustainability frameworks, including government-led assurance systems.

FACT’s work under this theme is informed by independent analytical work developed with member countries, including a scoping study and a sustainable production matrix. Together, these tools help compare sustainability objectives, policy approaches and market expectations across commodities and country contexts, supporting structured discussion, shared understanding, and practical learning.

How FACT Supports Market Recognition

FACT provides a platform for government-to-government (G2G) dialogue that helps countries strengthen mutual understanding of sustainability approaches and how they are recognized across different markets. Through structured peer exchange, FACT helps members to compare national frameworks, surface shared challenges, and identify pathways that improve coherence between domestic sustainability efforts and global market expectations.

Through G2G dialogue, FACT:

Creates space for producer and consumer countries to exchange experiences related to trade, procurement, and sustainability requirements.;

Supports shared understanding of how country-led sustainability frameworks are designed, implemented, and assessed across markets.;

Encourages cooperation, trust-building, and alignment across different regulatory and market contexts.

These discussions are informed by evolving international frameworks and regulatory signals, helping countries better understand how global requirements and sustainability initiatives may shape market recognition – while keeping the focus on country-led approaches.

What This Means for Your Country, Communities and Markets

Better alignment of sustainability expectations can support more inclusive participation by smallholders through clearer requirements and pathways to markets.

Improved coherence between sustainability approaches and market expectations can strengthen countries’ ability to maintain and expand market access.

Dialogue across countries and sectors can help reduce duplication, fragmentation, and administrative burden in sustainability-related trade requirements.

Clearer articulation of country-led sustainability efforts can strengthen how products are positioned and understood in international markets.

As sustainability requirements and market expectations continue to evolve, FACT’s Trade and Market Development work helps countries navigate change collaboratively, ensuring that sustainability efforts remain inclusive, credible, and connected to real market opportunities.