PARIS, 17 Oct. - (ANA) - From coffee beans to electric vehicle batteries, consumers and governments increasingly want to know where products come from, how they were made and whether they meet environmental and other requirements.

 

That means more information is travelling with goods across borders. But collecting it is not enough: border agencies also need to make sense of it and verify it without creating unnecessary costs or delays.

 

The latest OECD report examines what growing traceability demands mean for trade and how border systems can adapt.

 

Trade facilitation, supply chain traceability and economic security are becoming increasingly interconnected as governments introduce new environmental, social and resilience-related requirements for traded goods. 

 

Border processes must now support not only efficient trade flows but also the collection, verification and transmission of information on product origins, production methods and supply chains. 

 

This report examines how prepared OECD economies are to use trade facilitation systems to support evolving traceability-related requirements while minimising costs and complexity for businesses. 

 

It finds significant gaps between regulatory ambition and operational readiness. Fewer than 20% of new environmental and social-related requirements are designed with comprehensive border implementation in mind, while only 55% of environmental lifecycle requirements are addressed. 

 

The report highlights the importance of digitalisation, interoperability, inter-agency co-operation and international co-operation to strengthen compliance, supply chain resilience and efficient cross-border trade.   - (ANA) -

 

To download the full report, visit: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/10/better-borders-for-trade-traceability-and-enforcement_4e0a80fa/b5dea5f5-en.pdf

 

 

AB/ANA/17 October 2026 - - -