Newsletter at-a-glance

May 29: ... The move, which the White House announced Tuesday morning, comes just over a week after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the trade war between the two countries was "on hold" and will ratchet up tensions just before Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to arrive in Beijing this week for further talks. (Source: Politico)

May 29: ... The U.S. has exempted Canada and Mexico so far from tariffs on steel and aluminum, but tied that to NAFTA talks. Those exemptions are set to expire Friday morning, at the end of what the White House has called a "final" extension. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has also suggested a NAFTA deal is needed around then to pass the current Congress. (Source: Bloomberg)

May 28: President Trump is merging his national security and trade goals in a blur of tactical improvisation that risks alienating U.S. allies and opening American businesses to costly retaliation, according to several Republican lawmakers, business executives and former U.S. officials. (Source: Washington Post)

May 28: ... Nate Herman, senior vice president of supply chain for the American Apparel & Footwear Assn., said an additional label would also "add extensive cost" to product development and ultimately would force companies to "add labeling to all impacted products even if being sold in other states." (Source: Los Angeles Times)

May issue: ... A new report claims the Uzbekistan government forced education and medical workers, other public sector employees, private sector workers, people receiving benefits, and some college and university students to pick cotton involuntarily. (Source: Apparel Insider)

May 22: ... Unsold, high-end watches can frequently make their way to an unauthorized "grey market" where they’re peddled at heavy discounts. ... To cope with the problem, Richemont has bought back €481 million (about $567 million) worth of watches from its retail partners in the last two years ... The company has said in the past that it reallocates some of these watches to other regions. The rest it takes apart and recycles. (Source: Quartz)

May 22: ... All told, 240,000 stores on Alibaba’s Taobao platform – which is currently listed in as a Notorious Market by the US Trade Representative (USTR) – were closed down during the year as the company tried to clamp down on ‘bad actors’ on its platforms. (Source: Securing Industry)

May 22: The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), run by the City of London Police, has seized goods in Manchester as part of its crackdown on counterfeit goods sellers on Facebook. (Source: City of London Police)

Microfiber proposals in play: Connecticut passed a bill earlier this month that has significant impacts on our industry. Specifically, the bill requires the formation of a working group to study the issue of synthetic clothing and microfiber pollution and is awaiting signature from the Governor. Once signed, AAFA will launch a steering group to strategize engagement with Connecticut’s new microfiber working group. Meanwhile, similar proposals are being considered in California and New York, and AAFA is closely watching for any other proposals that may arise. Members interested in the impact this legislation could have on their business, or seeking more information on the steering group, are encouraged to connect with Kristen Kern.

Product Safety in NYC: This week AAFA will host brands, retailers, regulatory officials, and technical experts at our Product Safety Seminar in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The day begins with a keynote from Ann Marie Buerkle, Acting Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and continues with guest speakers from: Carhartt, Inc., Calloway Golf Company, FULLBEAUTY Brands, Global Brands Group, Outerstuff Ltd., PVH Corp., and more. AAFA will also showcase our recently released and most popular product safety tools. For more information on these resources — including AAFA's International Apparel & Footwear Labeling Matrix and the AAFA Restricted Substances List Covering California Proposition 65 — visit our Tools & Research page or contact Kristen Kern.

Post-hearing reactions to China tariff proposals: AAFA continues to strongly oppose all tariffs on textiles and apparel imported from China. In the last week, AAFA has filed multiple comments and joint letters expressing this sentiment and the concerns of the industry. See all of AAFA’s latest letters, comments, and testimony. For questions about how to get involved, contact AAFA’s Steve Lamar.

AAFA opposes expansion of Federal Prison Industries (FPI): On May 22, AAFA penned a letter strongly opposing a provision to expand Federal Prison Industries (FPI). AAFA has long been a vocal opponent of FPI’s ability to unfairly compete with private sector companies for Made in USA contract opportunities. Learn more.

See all of AAFA’s latest letters, comments, and testimony here.

Member Welcome: Kandor Manufacturing, Inc.

Kandor Manufacturing, Inc., located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico manufactures for the U.S. military.

May & June May 31 Product Safety Seminar June 7 Member-Only Webinar: Preparing for Changes to California Prop 65 June 13 Webinar: Analytics and Automation in Trade Compliance June 20 Member-Only Webinar: Getting Brand Protection Ready - Navigating the New GDPR Landscape   Visit our events calendar for all AAFA webinars and industry events.

Footwear Workshop September 27 | Lawrence, MA

Other Industry Events