Introduction: Trade Anxiety Is Now the Default Setting for Exporters

If you're running a business that exports goods, machinery, chemicals, wood, or even paper—you're likely feeling something heavy in the air. It's not just market fluctuations or rising costs. It's something more structural. According to the latest CBS data (May 2025), 95% of Dutch exporting manufacturers are worried about international trade policy.

That's not a statistic. It's a signal.

And if you’re not part of the 95%, you might be too slow to read the wave forming behind you.

The New Trade Risk Landscape: From Tariffs to Sanctions

Import Tariffs Are the #1 Concern in 2025

The most pressing worry among exporting companies? Import tariffs. As of May 2025, 77% of industrial exporters cite tariffs as their primary concern, up from just 10% in March 2023.

Why the dramatic rise? Because tariffs today are no longer just economic levers—they’re political tools. Entrepreneurs are caught in the crossfire of U.S.–China tensions, EU countermeasures, and emerging trade blocs redrawing boundaries.

Keyword focus: import tariffs 2025, trade policy risks, international trade impact

Non-Tariff Measures: The Silent Killers of Growth

Over 26% of exporters worry about non-tariff barriers, things like customs formalities, product certifications, and regulatory mismatches. These might sound like bureaucratic details, but in reality, they’re death by a thousand paper cuts for small and mid-sized exporters.

Industries most affected include electronics, machinery, chemicals, and base metals. If you're in one of these sectors, you already know: what used to be friction is now full-blown friction loss.

Trade Sanctions and Sustainability Rules Are Climbing the Agenda

Roughly 15% of companies are concerned about sustainability requirements, and nearly 9% cite trade sanctions as a major obstacle.

These are not "soft law" worries anymore. They're compliance landmines. Especially for sectors like refineries, chemicals, and textile production, where ESG mandates and cross-border norms change faster than your strategy cycle can adapt.

Keyword focus: trade sanctions 2025, sustainability in export compliance, non-tariff barriers to trade

Sector Breakdown: Which Exporting Industries Are Most at Risk?

Industries with the Highest Trade Policy Concerns

Across the board, exporters are waking up to a painful truth: the international trade environment has become structurally unstable.

Keyword focus: industry trade concerns, exporting sectors 2025, trade risk by industry

The Real Cost of Trade Policy Changes: Volume, Markets, and Margins

Export Volume Takes the Biggest Hit

Among companies expecting an impact from trade policy changes:

• 40% expect a decrease in export volume
• 9% anticipate pricing disruptions
• Only 8% believe there will be no impact at all (down from 47% in March 2023)

The electrical and machinery sector is particularly exposed, 60% of companies here expect a drop in volume. Meanwhile, the transport sector anticipates changing export destinations more than any other, but reports the least volume sensitivity.

Keyword focus: export volume impact, trade policy and pricing, market shift due to trade rules

From Uncertainty to Resilience: What Exporters Must Do Now

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a phase. It’s a new normal.  

And while macroeconomic indicators give us trendlines, they don’t give us the entrepreneurial foresight required to navigate the turbulence.

Actions for Exporting Companies in 2025:

1. Scenario-Driven Forecasting: Build multiple financial scenarios that account for policy volatility.
2. Compliance Heatmaps: Identify where your business is exposed to customs rules, tariff zones, and sustainability compliance.
3. Market Diversification Planning: Don’t wait for a market to close, design your plan B markets in advance.
4. Integrate Trade Risk into Governance: Trade policy risk belongs in your board meetings, not just your logistics planning.

Keyword focus: how to prepare for trade policy changes, export strategy 2025, trade compliance tips

Conclusion: Trade Policy Is Not a Variable, It’s a Structure

If 95% of exporters are worried, it’s not a sign of panic. It’s a signal that strategy must evolve.

As an entrepreneur, your role is no longer just about selling products across borders. It’s about understanding that regulations are language, and those who learn to read that language are not just survivors, they are leaders.

Trade is no longer a game of logistics. It’s a game of resilience, timing, and trust.

And trust, as I often say, begins where awareness meets preparation.