Press releases

Connecting sustainable buyers and suppliers: Join the Climate Smart Network

11 May 2023
ITC News

(Geneva/Washington, DC) Buyers across the world can now connect with small-scale suppliers that are adapting to or mitigating climate change, through the Climate Smart Network, developed by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with the Department of State Office of Global Partnerships. The platform is the first of its kind to pool the profiles of sustainability-focused buyers and suppliers in one place, in a global, searchable directory, now featuring more than 55,000 profiles. 

Small businesses can use the platform to showcase the climate-smart measures they have implemented and their compliance with third-party sustainability standards, to attract some of the world’s biggest buyers looking to source from green suppliers, including those from developing countries. Small businesses can also use the platform to access tools to help them lower emissions and adapt to the impact of climate change.

Buyers can climate-proof their supply chains by accessing data on the platform – vetted by ITC, the lead UN agency supporting small businesses to connect to global markets – to verify new and potential suppliers’ climate-smart claims. They can also add content and data to frame their corporate reporting and share resources to assist their suppliers in making the low-carbon transition.

The most recent update to the platform includes the addition of 45,000 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic producers in more than 100 countries, announced during the Aim for Climate Summit in Washington, DC, from 8-10 May.

Join the Climate Smart Network here.


Regarding the initiative, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said: ‘I am excited to see that 45,000 certified organic farms and businesses from the USDA Integrity Database are now on the Climate Smart Network. By expanding this network of buyers and suppliers, we can better address supply chain emissions.’

ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said: ‘Small businesses have a major role to play in the low-carbon transition – as they make up nearly all businesses and the majority of jobs across the world, including in developing countries. The Climate Smart Network is going to help them reduce their environmental footprint while giving them the platform they need to connect to buyers worldwide.’

Organizations looking to join the Climate Smart Network, a global public network of sustainable companies and initiatives, can reach out to ITC.

The platform is available in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.


Note for the Editor

About the International Trade Centre - The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, visit www.intracen.org.

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Media contact

Susanna Pak
Senior Strategic Communications Officer
International Trade Centre
E: pak [at] intracen.org
T: +41 22 730 0651
M: +41 79 667 4660