Sustainable business

For a Surinamese SME, sustainable business mainly means: spending less on power, fuel and waste, treating your staff well, and being able to answer the questions of customers, banks and investors. There is no legal reporting duty, but the government is steering with the Green Development Strategy 2025-2050, and banks and foreign customers increasingly ask about your environmental and social performance.

On this page (14)

• What sustainable business means in Suriname
• Policy: GDS, NDC and a just transition
• Saving energy and solar power
• Green finance
• Carbon credits: what you can and cannot do
• ESG questions from customers and investors
• Measuring your footprint
• Waste, plastic and water
• Labels, networks and the SDGs
• Step by step
• Checklist
• What if...
• Sources
• Frequently asked questions

What sustainable business means in Suriname

Sustainable business is not a separate project next to your business. It is about three things you already do, but consciously and with figures:

Area	Examples	What it brings
Environment (E)	Efficient cooling and lighting, solar panels, fewer generator hours, waste separation, no discharges	Lower costs, less outage risk, less chance of penalties (see Environmental rules for business)
People (S)	Fair pay, safe workplace, training, no child labour, good relations with the neighbourhood	Less turnover and absence, fewer accidents (see Workplace safety)
Governance (G)	Books in order, paying tax, no bribery, clear decision-making	Easier credit, trust from customers and investors (see Bookkeeping and invoices)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR, in Dutch MVO) is more than sponsorship. A donation to a school is welcome, but a customer or bank first looks at how you run your own operations.

Policy: GDS, NDC and a just transition

• Green Development Strategy (GDS) 2025-2050: launched on 14 February 2025. Four pillars: sustainable economic diversification, nature protection and climate resilience, social inclusion, and good governance. Aim: keep 93% forest cover and stay carbon negative while agriculture, industry, tourism, ICT and financial services grow. A GDS act and sector action plans with the IDB were planned. After the change of government in July 2025, environment falls under the new Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment.
• NDC 3.0: Suriname's new climate contribution under the Paris Agreement for 2025-2035 was validated on 28 October 2025. Key point: oil and gas revenue should finance green and climate-resilient development, with a new system to measure progress.
• Electricity Sector Plan: the Energy Authority of Suriname (EAS) presented a plan on 15 May 2025 with more solar and wind and less dependence on fossil fuel.
• Just transition: in December 2024 the labour ministry and the ILO completed the preparatory phase of a policy to protect workers during the shift to a green economy: new skills, social protection and social dialogue. It is part of the Decent Work Country Programme 2023-2026.
• Carbon tax: in April 2025 the government studied, with the EU, the feasibility of a carbon tax, possibly with a domestic carbon market. The expected lead time was 1 to 3 years. Nothing has been decided yet.

For business owners this means opportunities in ecotourism (Starting a tourism business), agro-processing (Starting an agribusiness), renewable energy and services, and eventually a price on emissions. An overview of sectors: Sectors and opportunities.

Saving energy and solar power

For most small businesses the biggest sustainability gain is in power and fuel. Cooling, air conditioning and a diesel generator for power cuts are often the largest items.

1. Read your meter every week for a month and record generator hours and litres of diesel. Tools: Trip and delivery cost for fuel, Cash flow planner for your monthly costs.
2. Take the easy wins: LED lighting, inverter air conditioners set at 24 to 25 °C, cold room doors closed, cooling equipment serviced, appliances off at night.
3. Look at solar panels. Under the 2016 electricity law and according to the I-TRACK Foundation report (January 2026), small-scale generation at the customer's premises is allowed, with net billing for what you feed back. Large-scale private generation still needs policy. Combine panels with a battery if power cuts are your main problem.
4. Do the sums: investment, monthly savings, payback period and interest. Use ROI and payback and Loan calculator.
5. Arrange connection and permits with EBS and check the feed-in rules; see Power, water and internet.

If you generate renewable power, you can have international certificates (I-RECs) issued for it. In Suriname the Suriname Energy Chamber is the approved local issuer. For most small businesses this only matters when a foreign customer asks for proof of green power.

Green finance

Genuine "green loans" for businesses are still scarce in Suriname, but a lot is moving:

• Sustainable finance protocol: in November 2024 the Suriname Bankers Association (SBV) and IDB Invest started work on a joint protocol. Aim: guidelines for climate risk, identifying green finance opportunities and training bank staff. Expect banks to ask more often about environmental and social risks for larger loans.
• Solar loan: in July 2026 Hakrinbank launched a credit facility for solar panels for households, with SRD 90 million, terms of up to 90 months and 9% interest a year. Other banks offer loans for solar and backup systems through suppliers; ask your own bank what is possible for businesses.
• NOB and IDB: the SME loan and guarantee programme (2024) includes USD 2 million from the Green Climate Fund's Amazon Bioeconomy Fund for technical assistance and guarantees for green enterprises. See Business financing.
• Grants and programmes from donors for sustainable projects: Grants and support programmes.

What a bank wants to see for a green investment: a quote from a recognised installer, your current power and fuel costs, the expected savings, and your permits. A good Writing a business plan helps.

Carbon credits: what you can and cannot do

Suriname removes more CO2 from the atmosphere than it emits. The state had the results of slowed deforestation for 2015-2021 registered with the UN climate secretariat and has been selling them since August 2024 as internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, to countries and to companies with net-zero targets. They are sovereign credits: the revenue goes to the state, with a benefit-sharing mechanism for investors, developers and local communities.

As a company	Possible?
Measuring and cutting your own emissions	Yes, and it is always the first step
Buying credits to offset remaining emissions	Yes, but do not claim "carbon neutral" without measurement, and choose recognised standards
Proving green power with I-REC certificates	Yes, through the local issuer
Selling your own forest or concession as credits	Not simply. We have not found a national framework for private forest projects, and international sales under Article 6 need state authorisation. Ask the Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment
Working as a service provider for carbon projects (measurement, GIS, monitoring)	Yes, this is where most opportunities for Surinamese firms lie

Be careful with offers from foreign "carbon developers" asking for exclusive rights to land or forest. Have every contract reviewed and check whether the government knows the project. Land rights: Buying land and property.

ESG questions from customers and investors

Large buyers, oil and mining companies, international hotel chains and foreign investors increasingly send a sustainability questionnaire. European rules such as the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), sustainability reporting (CSRD) and the forced labour ban reach you through them; see EU rules for Surinamese suppliers. Suppliers to the oil and gas sector also get HSE and local content requirements; see Oil and gas.

So keep these basic figures per year:

• Power use (kWh) and fuel (litres of diesel and petrol)
• Water use and how you dispose of wastewater
• Waste in kilos or trips, split into ordinary, recyclable and hazardous
• Number of employees, men/women, turnover, training hours
• Accidents and absence (from your accident register)
• Permits and MEA decisions (see Environmental rules for business)
• A short code of conduct: no child labour, no forced labour, no bribery, a grievance procedure

Measuring your footprint

The international standard is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, with three layers:

• Scope 1: what you burn yourself, such as diesel in the generator, fuel in your vehicles and gas in the kitchen. Use about 2.7 kg CO2 per litre of diesel and 2.3 kg per litre of petrol.
• Scope 2: the electricity you buy. Ask EBS or the EAS for the grid emission factor, or report only your kWh for now.
• Scope 3: everything in your value chain, such as purchased goods, freight and business travel. Only start on this when a customer asks.

A simple spreadsheet with monthly figures for scopes 1 and 2 is enough for most customers. Compare year on year and note what you changed. An environmental management system under ISO 14001:2026 is the next step; see Environmental rules for business and Standards and certification.

Waste, plastic and water

• Reducing waste: buy in larger or returnable packaging, separate cardboard, PET and cans for recyclers, and keep hazardous waste apart. The government wants to phase out single-use plastic and imports of expandable polystyrene (the raw material for styrofoam) have been banned since May 2026: look for alternatives for containers and cups now.
• Producer responsibility: in 2025 a policy paper on deposits for PET bottles and cans and on the responsibility of producers and importers for their packaging was discussed with businesses. Beverage producers and importers should follow this.
• Water (SDG 6): fix leaks, collect rainwater for cleaning and irrigation, and do not discharge fat, oil or chemicals into the drain. Fish kills caused by discharges lead to NMA investigations.

Labels, networks and the SDGs

• UN Global Compact: companies sign up to ten principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption and report on progress every year. Since 2024 there has been a Global Compact Network Caribbean, run from Barbados; Surinamese companies can join it. There is an annual contribution based on your revenue.
• SDG Platform Suriname: since July 2022 a platform of non-state actors alongside the government's National SDG Commission. Business also has a voice; employers' organisations hold SDG information sessions and breakfast meetings for CEOs. See Business associations and Business events.
• Product labels: FSC for timber, organic (EU organic) for food, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance for cocoa and coffee. They involve audits and annual fees; they pay off when your buyer requires them or pays a higher price. See Standards and certification and Exporting from Suriname.
• Management systems: ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 45001 (safety), ISO 50001 (energy). Only worthwhile when your organisation and customers are ready for it.

Step by step

1. Get your legal basics in order: permits, environmental rules, safety, pay. Sustainability without compliance convinces nobody (Environmental rules for business, Workplace safety, Labour law basics).
2. Measure for three months: power, fuel, water, waste. That is your baseline.
3. Pick three measures that save money, such as LEDs, air conditioning settings and fewer generator hours. Work out the payback.
4. Look into solar with two or three quotes, and ask your bank about financing.
5. Write a one-page policy: what you do on environment, people and integrity, with a person in charge and yearly targets.
6. Involve your staff: ask for ideas, train them and share results.
7. Communicate honestly: give concrete figures, and avoid vague claims such as "green" or "carbon neutral" without evidence.
8. Repeat every year and update your figures for customers and the bank.

Checklist

• Permits and environmental rules in order
• Monthly records of kWh, diesel, water and waste
• At least three saving measures carried out
• Quote and payback calculation for solar power
• Waste separated; hazardous waste kept apart and recorded
• One-page policy with a person in charge and targets
• Code of conduct and grievance procedure for staff and suppliers
• Folder with evidence for customers, bank and investors

What if...

• ...a customer asks whether I am "net zero"? Say what you measure and what you do. An honest baseline with a plan is better than a claim you cannot back up.
• ...a foreign party wants to use my forest for carbon credits? Sign nothing until a lawyer and the Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment have looked at it.
• ...I want to borrow for solar panels for my business? Ask your own bank first; bring a quote, your electricity bills and a savings calculation. Compare with leasing through the supplier.
• ...I want to export a sustainable product? Check which label your buyer asks for and what the EU requires: EU rules for Surinamese suppliers, Trade agreements and market access.

Sources

• Lancering Green Development Strategy (14 February 2025)
• Green Development Strategy en investeringen (April 2025)
• OGM: validatie NDC 3.0 (October 2025)
• EAS lanceert Elektriciteitssectorplan (May 2025)
• Energie Autoriteit Suriname
• Climate Change Laws of the World: Electricity Act 2016
• I-TRACK Foundation: Country Assessment Report Suriname (January 2026)
• AWJ en ILO: voorfase beleid Just Transition (December 2024)
• Suriname onderzoekt koolstofbelasting (April 2025)
• Suriname start verkoop van emissiereductie-kredieten (August 2024)
• Koolstofkredieten voor vertraagde ontbossing als ITMO's (September 2024)
• Registratie kredieten 2015-2021 bij UNFCCC (September 2023)
• Hakrinbank: Solar Finance Solution (July 2026)
• Key News: Surinaamse banken en IDB Invest, protocol duurzame financiering (November 2024)
• NOB en IDB: programma voor duurzaam ondernemen (May 2024)
• UN Global Compact: Global Compact Network Caribbean
• BIBIS: SDG Commissie en SDG Platform Suriname (October 2023)
• OGM: PROMAR-project tegen marien afval (November 2025)
• Greenhouse Gas Protocol: Corporate Standard

Checked on 26 October 2026. General information, not financial or legal advice. Bank product terms change; ask your bank for the current terms.