Sustainability

ICC expands Principles for Sustainable Trade Finance to include social impact and supply-chain solutions

2 July 2025

ICC has launched expanded Principles for Sustainable Trade Finance. Developed in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, the updated Principles significantly extend the scope of sustainable trade financing beyond environmental criteria to encompass social impact and sustainability-linked supply-chain finance structures.

Launched during the Financing for Future Development conference taking place in Seville, Spain, the updated Principles feature new Principles for Social Trade Finance (PSoTF) that enable lenders to classify facilities whose proceeds directly benefit vulnerable or underserved populations and align with the Social Loan Principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the update introduces the ICC Principles for Sustainability-Linked Supply-Chain Finance (PSL-SCF), providing detailed guidance on KPI selection, target calibration, monitoring and de-classification across all parties involved. This gives buyers and their suppliers a consistent, incentive-based pathway to embed decarbonisation and social metrics in payables-finance programmes.

Provide your feedback: Industry consultation now open until 5 September 2025

ICC has launched a public consultation inviting feedback from stakeholders across the trade finance ecosystem on the new components (the PSoTF and PSL-SCF) of the Principles. The survey, available here, is open until 5 September 2025, and is essential to ensure the final framework balances technical rigor with practicality for users operating across diverse geographies and product sets. ICC expects to formally ratify the document in Q3/4 of 2025.

Contact us: For more information on the Principles for Sustainable Trade Finance or to submit detailed comments, please reach out to: