U.S. Dept. of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Studying U.S. Textile Sector

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is undertaking a comprehensive study on the health, competiveness, and the contribution of the U.S. textile, apparel, and footwear industry to the U.S. economy.  Among the topics included are:

  • Current issues and challenges, and what can be done to support the industry.
  • Effectiveness of the Berry Amendment and other Buy-American provisions.

The U.S. Department of Commerce conducted a similar assessment in 2003, “U.S. Textile and Apparel Industries: An Industrial Base Assessment.”  A link to that study is below.

The U S Textile and Apparel Industries – An Industrial Base Assessment

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U.S. Textile Manufacturers Endorse Trans-Pacific Partnership

January 21, 2016

Contact: Eliza Levy
202-822-8028
elevy@ncto.org

U.S. Textile Manufacturers Endorse Trans-Pacific Partnership

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On January 20, 2016, the National Council of Textile Organizations voted to formally support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. The decision to support TPP came after an exhaustive analysis determined that NCTO’s principle objectives were met as part of the finalized terms of the agreement. These objectives include:

  • A strong yarn forward rule of origin for the vast majority of textile and apparel products.
  • Reasonable, multi-year tariff phase-outs for sensitive textile and apparel products.
  • Terms that provided for the stability of the Western Hemisphere textile and apparel production chain.

“Due to the inclusion of Vietnam and other major textile and apparel exporting countries, the TPP agreement is the most significant trade policy initiative to confront the U.S. textile sector over the past 25 years,” stated Jeff Price, NCTO Chairman and President of the Specialty Fabrics Division at Milliken and Company. “As such, it was critical for our government to produce a final agreement that appropriately reflected the needs of U.S. textile manufacturers and the hundreds of thousands of workers we employ nationwide. We believe that the agreement concluded late last year in Atlanta meets our core objectives and is worthy of our full support.”

“No agreement is perfect, and certainly that is the case with TPP,” Price continued. “There were difficult trade-offs that we, as U.S. manufacturers, had to consider during this process, as is the case with any complicated negotiation. Nonetheless, this agreement is very sound in the essential elements that govern textile trade. We stated throughout the entire negotiating process that if our key objectives were met, NCTO would support the final agreement. Today, we are making good on that commitment to the U.S. government by pledging our support of TPP. With legislative review and action expected in 2016, NCTO looks forward to working with congressional leadership, the committees of jurisdiction, our supporters on Capitol Hill, and the Obama Administration on a path forward for TPP.”

“We extend our thanks to Ambassador Michael Froman and the entire U.S. negotiating team for their willingness to acknowledge our input throughout the TPP process,” Price concluded.

The U.S. textile and apparel industry is a significant contributor to the U.S. economy, producing over $70 billion in annual output and employing nearly 500,000 workers nationwide. In addition, the U.S. textile and apparel sector exported more than $24 billion in goods in 2014.

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Textile Industry Calls on Obama Administration to Address Critical Issues Affecting U.S. Manufacturers during Chinese Presidential Visit

For Immediate Release

September 25, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) calls on the Obama Administration to utilize today’s visit with Chinese President  Xi Jinping to highlight the urgent need for substantial economic and trade policy reforms by China in order to help level the playing field for U.S. textile producers and other U.S. manufacturers. Continue Reading

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Alexium Presents Environmentally-Friendly Flame Retardant Chemistry

TechTextil, July 11, 2015

Alexium specializes in developing environmentally-friendly flame retardant chemistries for many fabrics, including synthetic-rich fabrics in the textile industry. Jon Heard, Head of Business development and marketing during an interview to Pakistan Textile Journal highlights how Alexium together with iTextiles in Pakistan is developing the technical textiles and work wear garment segment in Pakistan.
Continue Reading

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Companies Keep up Tradition of Textiles

July 7, 2015
Lincoln Times-News
Shelby Cook, Reporter

Since more than a century ago, Lincoln County has been home to numerous textile industries. While a good number of these businesses have moved overseas, many remain, especially those with more advanced manufacturing processes. These businesses still flourish through the production, manufacturing, and sales of textiles and textile supply products. These more modern textile industries remain a strong part of our economy. Continue Reading

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NCTO Statement on Today’s House Vote on the Trade Act of 2015

June 12, 2015

WASHINGTON—NCTO encourages Congress and the Administration to work toward a bipartisan solution that will allow Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to proceed swiftly in the House of Representatives. NCTO remains committed to the success of TPA as a vital part of overall U.S. trade policy in an effort to ensure strong and rational international trade agreements that fully incorporate the interests of the U.S. textile industry.

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NCTO Statement on House Passage of FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1735)

NCTO Statement on House Passage of FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1735)

NCTO applauds the action taken by the House of Representatives earlier today in passing the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1735). The Defense Authorization bill contained important language supporting the Berry Amendment authored by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) (Amendment #74, part of En Bloc Amendment #5). NCTO commends Congressman McGovern for offering this amendment that ensures that a provision in Section 854 of H.R. 1735 would not seriously harm the U.S. textile, apparel, and footwear industry. Section 854 proposes to increase the Simplified Acquisition Threshold procedure (SAT) from $150,000 to $500,000 meaning that contracts falling below the SAT level would not be subject to the Berry Amendment. The McGovern amendment, however, exempted Berry contracts from this increased SAT threshold and instead mandates that the current $150,000 threshold level remain in place for all textile and apparel purchases under Berry.

Among other things, the Berry Amendment ensures that our warfighters stay protected in domestically produced personal protective equipment. The Berry Amendment has spurred substantial research, development and innovation that ensures that America’s warfighters have the most advanced and effective textile materials available. In addition, Berry helps to spur U.S. manufacturing, investment, employment, and exports. It is imperative that Congress preserve the integrity of the Berry Amendment through policies like Congressman McGovern’s amendment. Doing so will ensure the highest level of performance and safety for our U.S. military.

5/15/2015

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NCTO Statement on Trade Legislation Passed by the Senate Today (5/14/2015)

NCTO Statement on Trade Legislation Passed by the Senate Today

NCTO commends the Senate for earlier today passing two important pieces of trade legislation H.R. 1295 and H.R. 644, addressing trade preference programs and customs enforcement. As the Senate now moves to consider another trade package including Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), NCTO urges the chamber to pass a clean TPA bill without harmful amendments that will damage U.S. textile jobs, manufacturing, and exports.

5/14/2015

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NCTO Applauds USTR for Confronting China on Illegal Export Subsidies

February 11, 2015

NCTO Applauds USTR for Confronting China on Illegal Export Subsidies

Washington, D.C. – The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) applauds U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman’s decision to pursue dispute settlement consultations with the Government of China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) concerning China’s “Demonstration Bases-Common Service Platform” export subsidy program. (Ambassador Froman’s press release linked here)

Through this program, China provides WTO prohibited export subsidies to manufacturers which meet export performance criteria. These illegal subsidies have bolstered China’s meteoritic export surge of textiles and apparel into the U.S. market. The chart below demonstrates the phenomenal growth of Chinese textile and apparel exports to the U.S. market since 2001.

China’s massive export growth over this period resulted in billions of dollars in lost sales and tens of thousands of lost jobs in the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere. “It has been NCTO’s long standing position that China’s rise in the global textile and apparel market has been substantially aided by illegal and unfair trading practices. These illegal practices distort the global market place and put the entire U.S. manufacturing base at a considerable disadvantage,” stated NCTO president Augustine Tantillo. “We applaud the Obama Administration for today’s decision to hold our international trading competitors to their WTO obligations,” he continued.

When afforded a level playing field, the U.S. textile and apparel industry can compete with any country in the world. In 2013*, the U.S. textile and apparel industry was the third largest exporter of textile and apparel products in the world, exporting nearly $24 billion in goods. The industry is also a significant contributor to the overall U.S. economy, producing over $70 billion in annual output. Most importantly, the industry remains a major employer in the United States, providing jobs for nearly 500,000 workers from fiber production to finished product in 2013*. Additionally, for every one direct textile or apparel job, there are three additional jobs supported within the U.S. economy.  

NCTO encourages the U.S. to strenuously pursue this matter at the WTO in order to begin the eradication of these illegal trading practices. Doing so will lead to more fair and open competition in the global market.

*This press release contains 2013 data. Full year 2014 data has not yet been released by the USITC.

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NCTO Joins With Leading Manufacturing Organizations to Call for Immediate Action on Currency Manipulation

For Immediate Release

August 21, 2014

NCTO Joins With Leading Manufacturing Organizations to Call for Immediate Action on Currency Manipulation

Columbia, S.C. — The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) joined with the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) today to seek U.S. government action to stop currency manipulation. NCTO called upon lawmakers to adopt meaningful legislation to stop predatory currency practices and the Executive Branch to include strong and enforceable currency manipulation disciplines in all future trade agreements.

Export-oriented countries such as China and Vietnam have been shown to purposefully devalue their currency in order to promote their exports and to block imports into their markets. This practice places the entire U.S. manufacturing base at a considerable disadvantage when it comes to international trade.

During an event today in Columbia, S.C., the three organizations highlighted how unfair currency policies hurt American job creation and economic growth. According to a 2014 study by the Economic Policy Institute, ending unfair currency policies can create as many as 2.3 million new manufacturing jobs in the United States by leveling the playing field in global markets.

“NCTO is pleased to join with other major manufacturing associations to highlight the need for currency reform,” said Augustine Tantillo, President of NCTO. “Currency manipulation distorts the global marketplace and puts American workers at a disadvantage. NCTO calls upon congressional leaders to support legislative initiatives that create tangible remedies for U.S. manufacturers that have been damaged by unfair currency practices.”

“Currency manipulation affects all U.S. manufacturing,” Tantillo continued, “As a result, we need a bipartisan solution that involves both the Legislative and Executive Branches of our government.”

The U.S. textile and apparel industries employ nearly 500,000 workers in the United States, including 19,400 textile industry jobs in South Carolina.

SC Currency Press Release

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