October 3, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C.—National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas sent a letter to President Joseph Biden today asking his administration to intervene in the East and Gulf Coast ports strike that is exacerbating the economic distress facing the U.S. textile industry, which has been hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

See the full letter here.

“We respectfully ask that you urge the parties to reach a reasonable, fair, and expeditious conclusion given your role as a key negotiator and intermediary. The strike at East Coast and Gulf ports threatens not only our domestic competitiveness but also that of the broader Western Hemisphere textile and apparel co-production chain, which supports 2 million workers and $40 billion in annual two-way trade,” the letter reads.

Seventy percent of U.S. textile exports are shipped to the industry’s Western Hemisphere free trade agreement partners, who in turn produce finished apparel and home textile products for the U.S. market. 

“The strike comes at a particularly difficult time when American textile manufacturers are reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Several companies have been hard hit as a result of this tragedy—some with severe structural damage and others with idled plants” the letter continues. “The industry’s main concern right now is prioritizing the safety and well-being of its employees and their families.  This strike couldn’t come at a worse time as the industry has seen the closure of 21 plants in the last 18 months. We appreciate your leadership in helping mitigate supply chain challenges, as well as your work in support of working families and your work on behalf of the U.S. textile industry. We ask for your urgent assistance in helping to end these widespread supply chain disruptions so that our industry can have a fighting chance to regain its footing amid other serious and ongoing challenges.”

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 501,755 in 2023.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.8 billion in 2023.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023.
• Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.27 billion in 2021, the last year for which data is available.

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CONTACT:

Kristi Ellis

Vice President, Communications

National Council of Textile Organizations

kellis@ncto.org |  202.281.9305

September 13, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued a statement on today’s White House announcement and fact sheet that outlined executive actions to curtail de minimis shipments in addition to other key measures on enforcement and domestic procurement.

Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:

“We appreciate the administration’s actions announced today, which represent a step forward in helping mitigate the impact of the de minimis provision.

“We have called on the administration to use its existing executive authorities to limit the severe damage to our industry created by the de minimis loophole. Today, the administration announced rulemaking to limit de minimis treatment for all imported products subject to U.S. trade remedies and penalties, including the Section 301 tariffs. This is an important, common-sense reform and critical first step. We amplify the need to expedite rulemaking to the fullest extent possible and appreciate their strong engagement with our industry. The administration also announced requirements for additional information on de minimis shipments and other enforcement measures.

“Further, the administration underscored the need for a comprehensive solution beyond this action announced today – underscoring the magnitude of the problem, and the inability to effectively enforce our laws with the flood of de minimis packages coming in daily and the need for an urgent solution. We share that same sense of urgency. We are calling on Congress and the administration to work together to immediately close this disastrous loophole once and for all. 

“The U.S. textile industry, a strategic supplier of goods to the U.S. military and PPE is experiencing severe demand destruction fueled by de minimis shipments flooding our market with cheap, illegal imports because of this nonsensical outdated trade loophole. De minimis has facilitated illegal and forced labor products to our doorsteps at the cost of American jobs and our manufacturing sector.

“The flood of boxes coming into the United States under an outdated 1930s trade provision rewards Chinese e-commerce platforms and cheaters with a free trade agreement. It makes detecting illegal products effectively impossible. De minimis hides a black market of goods and puts people and consumers at risk. Half of the 4 million de minimis boxes a day are estimated to be textile and apparel goods – which is why we greatly appreciate the administration calling for the global exclusion of trade sensitive items – including textiles and apparel – from de minimis treatment given the sensitivity of the sector and rampant cheating. If enacted and effectively enforced, this will help significantly bring down the volume of these goods to better detect fentanyl and other illicit and dangerous products and help U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) do its important work in the field with our law enforcement officers. Time is of the essence because there is so much at stake.

“We also underscore the need for Congress and the administration to immediately eliminate this disastrous loophole once and for all in the coming weeks. We will continue pressing for comprehensive reform given the urgency of the crisis – not just for our industry which has lost 19 plants this last year – but for all industries and consumers and families impacted by this loophole.

“Finally, we applaud the administration’s directive on developing a plan for immediate textile and apparel procurement. This is critical to our industry, and we stand ready to supply more goods to the U.S. government. We also appreciate the administration’s stepped-up textile and apparel enforcement efforts over the last few months and their ongoing engagement with this critical industry. Today they announced their efforts to date.  We want to thank Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS, and the CBP team for prioritizing this at such a critical time.”

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 501,755 in 2023.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.8 billion in 2023.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023.
• Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.27 billion in 2021, the last year for which data is available.

DOWNLOAD RELEASE

CONTACT:

Kristi Ellis

Vice President, Communications

National Council of Textile Organizations

 |  202.281.9305

August 21, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement today on news of the passing of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) this morning.

Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:

“The entire U.S. textile industry is mourning the loss of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), a true leader and advocate for critical manufacturing policies aimed at bolstering the domestic supply chain and confronting ongoing threats from predatory trade practices.

“We commend his significant contributions – not just to the U.S. domestic industry—but for American manufacturers and workers everywhere.

“Rep. Pascrell had served as co-chair of the House Textile Caucus with Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) since 2013 and was an ardent fighter for the U.S. textile industry and beyond.”

In April, Congressman Pascrell championed a bill titled the Import Security and Fairness Act led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) that would exclude all Chinese imports from de minimis treatment, as highlighted in our blog post on a House Ways & Means markup.

He also penned an op-ed with Congressman McHenry highlighting the urgent need to drive investment and for onshoring and nearshoring textile and apparel production and to not weaken the critical U.S. and Central America  Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

In addition, he co-sponsored legislation aimed at strengthening the American PPE supply chain which would expand the Berry Amendment to nearly all federal purchases of PPE.

“As is evidenced above, Congressman Pascrell took on every policy battle in support of U.S. textiles and manufacturing in general as an unwavering supporter of maintaining and expanding a vital domestic manufacturing chain.  He worked closely with Rep. McHenry on critical textile issues to advance the cause for our domestic industry and its workforce.

“He will be missed deeply by the industry and to all who knew him. We extend our gratitude to a manufacturing warrior and express our condolences to the entire Pascrell family and his staff and team.”

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 501,755 in 2023.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.8 billion in 2023.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023.
• Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.27 billion in 2021, the last year for which data is available.

DOWNLOAD RELEASE

CONTACT:

Kristi Ellis

Vice President, Communications

National Council of Textile Organizations

kellis@ncto.org |  202.281.9305

May 16, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC—National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued a statement today praising the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for adding 26 Chinese textile companies to the Uyghur forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, bringing the total number of entities whose goods are banned from being imported into the U.S. market to 65.  

Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas

“We commend DHS for significantly expanding the critical UFLPA Entity List and stepping up enforcement of entities that are egregiously trading in slave labor cotton sourced from Xinjiang, China. Slave labor cotton as well as man-made fibers produced in Xinjiang are feeding into clothing made in China and numerous other countries around the world that is destined for the U.S. market, severely undermining U.S. domestic producers.

“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in following through on anti-forced labor legislation and sends a strong message to known offenders, enterprises and governments that the U.S. government is increasing its enforcement activities and dedication to cracking down on imports of goods made with forced labor.

“Chinese cotton produced with forced labor in Xinjiang is flooding the global marketplace and entering the U.S. market as downstream products. Some 76 percent of all Chinese cotton products contain Xinjiang cotton, which leads to textiles and apparel made with forced labor bleeding into global supply chains, most notably in Asia but also in our free trade agreement regions.  The scourge of slave labor in Xinjiang involves not only cotton but extends to man-made fiber products as well.

“As a result, American textile plants have been forced to close and lay off workers. We have lost 17 textile plants in the past several months due in part to these illegal trade practices that are undermining the industry’s competitiveness.

“While the expanded Entity List is a positive step to increasing enforcement of goods made with forced labor, the list should include more companies outside of China that may be trading in goods and inputs made with forced labor.

“The U.S. also needs to close the de minimis loophole that is facilitating imported slave labor goods, toxic products and illicit fentanyl and other narcotics. Since the vast majority of de minimis imports are uninspected by CBP, this mechanism allows China and others to ship goods with impunity directly to U.S. consumers that violate our slave labor prohibitions and skirt consumer safety standards. 

“In addition, we have recommended to DHS and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) other essential actions to mitigate the economic harm and to maximize civil and criminal penalties against trade predators.

They include:

• Increased UFLPA enforcement and inspections of imports to prevent textile and apparel goods from entering our market, including in the de minimis environment
• Immediate expansion of isotopic testing of suspected shipments and other targeting tools
• Ramped up textile and apparel enforcement with regard to the Western Hemisphere trade partner countries, including onsite production verification visits and other targeting measures to enforce rules of origin and address backdoor UFLPA violations

“The U.S. textile industry is experiencing one of the worst downturns in its history. We welcome today’s actions as part of the robust DHS textile enforcement plan that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced and begun to implement. It is critical to have all these actions in place to act as an effective deterrent to China and other entities that are harming our domestic manufacturing base.”

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 501,755 in 2023.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.8 billion in 2023.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023.
• Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.27 billion in 2021, the last year for which data is available.

CONTACT:

Kristi Ellis

Vice President, Communications

National Council of Textile Organizations

kellis@ncto.org |  202.281.9305

April 26, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC—The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished sewn products, held its officer elections for fiscal year 2024 at its annual meeting April 9-11.

NCTO has elected Charles Heilig, President of Parkdale Mills, as Chairman; and Chuck Hall, President and CEO of Barnet, as Vice Chairman.

In addition to the appointment of a new chairman and vice chairman, NCTO elected chairs for each of its five councils. NCTO is comprised of five councils to ensure a broad representation of the industry supply chain. Each council has an allotted number of members who are elected to the association’s Board of Directors, in addition to the Executive Committee.

“I am pleased to announce our new officers, council chairs, and board and executive committee members for NCTO’s 2024 fiscal year,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “I want to thank our new Chairman Charles Heilig and Vice Chairman Chuck Hall for stepping into these critical roles and their vital contribution to the Board and NCTO. As we navigate the challenging times ahead, their input and leadership will be invaluable, and we will work together to advocate for policies that help bolster the U.S. textile industry and our Western Hemisphere partners and deter policies that are detrimental to this vibrant domestic supply chain, employing more than 500,000 workers. “

Elected as NCTO Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2024:

• Chairman – Charles Heilig President of Parkdale Mills

Mr. Heilig is President of Parkdale Mills, based in Gastonia, North Carolina, a leading American manufacturer of yarn and cotton consumer products.

• Vice Chairman – Chuck Hall, President and CEO of Barnet based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a 125-year-old manufacturer of technical textiles.

Elected to the NCTO Board of Directors during the various Council meetings were the following:

Fiber Council – David Adkins of Lenzing; John Freeman of Nan Ya Plastics; and Melissa Stewart of The LYCRA Company

Yarn Council-Justin Ferdinand of Kentwool; Peter Iliopoulos of Gildan; Eddie Ingle of Unifi; Eric Noe of Buhler Quality Yarns; Marvin Smith of Shuford Yarns; and Jay Todd of Service Thread

Fabric and Home Products Council – David Smith of Milliken & Company; James McKinnon of Cotswold Industries; Blake Millinor of Valdese Weavers; Leib Oehmig of Glen Raven; Dan Russian of Sage Automotive Interiors; and Walter Spiegel of Standard Textile

Finished Textiles and Apparel Products Council – Marisa Fumei-South of Two-One-Two New York (Alternate: Gabrielle Ferrara of Ferrara Manufacturing)

Industry Support Council – Todd Bassett of Fi-Tech; Greg Duncan of American Truetzschler; and Jim Reed of YKK Corp.

Elected by their respective Councils to serve on the Executive Committee:

David Adkins, Lenzing; Eddie Ingle, Unifi; Marvin Smith, Shuford Yarns; David Smith, Milliken & Company; James McKinnon, Cotswold Industries; Marisa Fumei-South, Two-One-Two New York; Gabrielle Ferrara, Ferrara Manufacturing; and Todd Bassett, Fi-Tech.

NCTO Chairman Charles Heilig has elected additional executives to serve on the Executive Committee: Anderson Warlick of Parkdale Mills; Norman Chapman of Inman Mills; John Maness of Gildan; Amy Bircher Bruyn of MMI Textiles; and Jackie Ferrari of American Fashion Network.

Elected to chair the Councils:

Fiber Council: David Adkins of Lenzing

Yarn Council: Justin Ferdinand of Kentwool

Fabric and Home Products Council: David Smith of Milliken & Company

Finished Textiles and Apparel Products Council: Marisa Fumei-South of Two-One-Two New York.

Industry Support Council: Todd Bassett of Fi-Tech

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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 501,755 in 2023.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.8 billion in 2023.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023.
• Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.27 billion in 2021, the last year for which data is available.

DOWNLOAD RELEASE

CONTACT:

Kristi Ellis

Vice President, Communications

National Council of Textile Organizations

kellis@ncto.org | 202.281.9305