diff --git a/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/http/trace.rs b/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/http/trace.rs
index 129a0da7d8..5c7643d12d 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/http/trace.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/http/trace.rs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ impl SpanExporter for OtlpHttpClient {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
         let mut client_guard = self.client.lock().map_err(|e| {
             OTelSdkError::InternalFailure(format!("Failed to acquire client lock: {}", e))
         })?;
diff --git a/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/tonic/trace.rs b/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/tonic/trace.rs
index 4ddad37b50..4a09e8491b 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/tonic/trace.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-otlp/src/exporter/tonic/trace.rs
@@ -89,11 +89,17 @@ impl SpanExporter for TonicTracesClient {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
-        match self.inner.take() {
-            Some(_) => Ok(()), // Successfully took `inner`, indicating a successful shutdown.
-            None => Err(OTelSdkError::AlreadyShutdown), // `inner` was already `None`, meaning it's already shut down.
-        }
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+        // ToDo: as part of https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-rust/pull/2812
+        // self is no longer mutable due to trait change for span exporter
+        // the shutdown for gRPC needs to implemented and tracked in
+        // https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-rust/issues/2777
+        //
+        // match self.inner.take() {
+        //     Some(_) => Ok(()), // Successfully took `inner`, indicating a successful shutdown.
+        //     None => Err(OTelSdkError::AlreadyShutdown), // `inner` was already `None`, meaning it's already shut down.
+        // }
+        Ok(())
     }
 
     fn set_resource(&mut self, resource: &opentelemetry_sdk::Resource) {
diff --git a/opentelemetry-otlp/src/span.rs b/opentelemetry-otlp/src/span.rs
index 81c2cedd67..dfa92c4b5d 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-otlp/src/span.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-otlp/src/span.rs
@@ -159,4 +159,12 @@ impl opentelemetry_sdk::trace::SpanExporter for SpanExporter {
             SupportedTransportClient::Http(client) => client.set_resource(resource),
         }
     }
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+        match &self.client {
+            #[cfg(feature = "grpc-tonic")]
+            SupportedTransportClient::Tonic(client) => client.shutdown(),
+            #[cfg(any(feature = "http-proto", feature = "http-json"))]
+            SupportedTransportClient::Http(client) => client.shutdown(),
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md b/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md
index dff2dd365a..4f956ac579 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## vNext
 
+- **Breaking**: [#2779](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-rust/issues/2779) handle
+shutdown for span exporter for `http` exporters, shutdown for `grpc` would be added
+separately.
+
 ## 0.29.0
 
 Released 2025-Mar-21
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/testing/trace/span_exporters.rs b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/testing/trace/span_exporters.rs
index 0144d9b212..e2d2d8889a 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/testing/trace/span_exporters.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/testing/trace/span_exporters.rs
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ impl SpanExporter for TokioSpanExporter {
         })
     }
 
-    fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
         self.tx_shutdown.send(()).map_err(|_| {
             OTelSdkError::InternalFailure("Failed to send shutdown signal".to_string())
         })
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/export.rs b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/export.rs
index 15db1bdaf4..41ed44ddac 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/export.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/export.rs
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ pub trait SpanExporter: Send + Sync + Debug {
     /// flush the data and the destination is unavailable). SDK authors
     /// can decide if they want to make the shutdown timeout
     /// configurable.
-    fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
         Ok(())
     }
 
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/in_memory_exporter.rs b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/in_memory_exporter.rs
index 099f666a41..68d8a03f2f 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/in_memory_exporter.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/in_memory_exporter.rs
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ impl SpanExporter for InMemorySpanExporter {
         result
     }
 
-    fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
         self.reset();
         Ok(())
     }
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/span_processor.rs b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/span_processor.rs
index d2253c1cb9..3fcc4d839a 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/span_processor.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/trace/span_processor.rs
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ impl<T: SpanExporter> SpanProcessor for SimpleSpanProcessor<T> {
     }
 
     fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
-        if let Ok(mut exporter) = self.exporter.lock() {
+        if let Ok(exporter) = self.exporter.lock() {
             exporter.shutdown()
         } else {
             Err(OTelSdkError::InternalFailure(
@@ -1089,7 +1089,7 @@ mod tests {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+        fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
             Ok(())
         }
         fn set_resource(&mut self, resource: &Resource) {
diff --git a/opentelemetry-stdout/src/trace/exporter.rs b/opentelemetry-stdout/src/trace/exporter.rs
index ea88ca1f95..bdbd637a56 100644
--- a/opentelemetry-stdout/src/trace/exporter.rs
+++ b/opentelemetry-stdout/src/trace/exporter.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ impl opentelemetry_sdk::trace::SpanExporter for SpanExporter {
         }
     }
 
-    fn shutdown(&mut self) -> OTelSdkResult {
+    fn shutdown(&self) -> OTelSdkResult {
         self.is_shutdown.store(true, Ordering::SeqCst);
         Ok(())
     }