weighted score 5.9 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Papua New Guinea
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Papua New Guinea-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
5
ILAB lists palm oil (child labour) and tuna (forced labour). Logging sector has documented exploitative practices. Remote locations limit monitoring.
Worker rights & FOA
5
Core ILO conventions ratified but enforcement severely limited. Labour inspectorate under-resourced. Tribal conflicts affect worker safety.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Social audit infrastructure minimal. Very few accredited audit bodies. Access to remote sites extremely difficult. Audit reliability low.
Food & product safety
5
Limited food safety infrastructure. Tuna processing facilities vary in standards. Palm oil quality variable. Agricultural commodity safety frameworks basic.
Environmental & regulatory
7
Major deforestation from logging and palm oil. High EUDR exposure. Tropical log exports face legality concerns. IUU fishing in tuna sector.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI ~28 — very high corruption. Customary land tenure creates governance complexity. Weak rule of law outside major centres.
Tariff & preferential access
4
EU GSP standard preferences available. Export volumes to EU small. No comprehensive FTA with EU. Trade dominated by Australia.
Non-tariff barriers
6
EUDR applies to palm oil and timber — high exposure. Limited certification infrastructure. Traceability challenges in all commodity chains.
Supply chain traceability
7
Traceability extremely difficult due to remote production sites, informal supply chains, and minimal digital infrastructure. Multi-tier opacity.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced labour risk
- ILAB lists palm oil (child labour) and tuna (forced labour in fishing sector). Logging sector also linked to exploitative labour practices in remote areas.
- Sectors at elevated risk
- Palm oil plantations, tuna fishing and processing, logging operations, and artisanal mining. Remote locations and weak enforcement create conditions for labour exploitation.
- Audit limitations
- Access to remote plantations and fishing vessels is extremely difficult. Social audit infrastructure is minimal — very few accredited audit bodies operate in PNG. Audit reliability is low.
- ILO conventions
- PNG has ratified core ILO conventions but enforcement capacity is severely limited. Labour inspectorate is under-resourced and unable to cover the vast, poorly connected territory.
- Law and order
- High crime rates, tribal conflicts, and limited police capacity. These conditions affect worker safety and the viability of independent monitoring programmes.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- GSP status
- EU GSP standard preferences apply. Reduced tariff rates on eligible exports. PNG is not in the EBA (Everything But Arms) category as it is a lower-middle income country.
- EUDR exposure
- High exposure — palm oil is a major export and PNG has significant deforestation driven by logging and palm oil expansion. Due diligence statements will be required for palm oil and timber imports from PNG.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 2027. ILAB-listed commodities (palm oil, tuna) present elevated risk of investigation under Article 5.
- IUU fishing
- PNG's tuna fishery is significant but faces IUU fishing challenges. The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) vessel day scheme provides some governance framework, but monitoring vast ocean areas remains difficult.
- Timber regulation
- PNG is one of the largest tropical log exporters globally. Logging legality is a persistent concern — Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABLs) have been linked to illegal land acquisitions.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridor
- Lae/Port Moresby → Coral Sea → Southeast Asia transhipment hubs → Indian Ocean → Suez Canal → EU ports
- Key transit points
- Singapore or Malaysian transhipment hubs for onward connection to Europe. Direct services to EU are not available.
- Typical transit time
- 35–45 days to Northwest Europe (including transhipment)
- Infrastructure constraints
- Domestic logistics are the primary bottleneck — getting goods from production sites to port is often more challenging than the international leg. Most interior regions accessible only by air.