December 18: Duties will be raised to 25% from 10% at end of 90-day window. (Source: Nikkei Asian Review)

December 17: ... Beijing has resumed buying U.S. soybeans, the single largest agricultural export between the two countries. China has also cut tariffs on imports of cars from the United States, dialed back on an industrial development plan known as “Made in China 2025,” and told its state refiners to buy more U.S. oil. (Source: Reuters)

December 14: Fascinating – just a few words escaped from the President's twitter feed and global markets start falling. Given his love for the Christmas season, his love for Brexit, his love for figgy pudding, it's not surprising that he reached for a Beatles song to express his views on trade when he grabbed "I Am The Walrus," writes Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. (Source: just-style, op-ed by AAFA's Rick Helfenbein – article unlocked)

December 18: ... Behind locked gates, men and women are sewing sportswear that can end up on U.S. college campuses and sports teams. (Source: Associated Press)

December 13: ... "It's a trend that I have had more conversations about in the last 18 months than I have in the previous five years before that," [said Steve Lamar executive vice president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association]. (Source: CBS)

December 11: From shelf-stacking robots to AI fashion assistants, technology is changing how we shop, and breaking down the walls between the virtual and the real world. This is what the future of retail looks like. (Source: Wired)

December 17: ... The Wall Street Journal investigated for months in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and San Francisco and found fake reviews, artificial sales and bribes are among the most popular methods in the “guru” toolbox. This video explains how some Chinese sellers are finding shortcuts to beat their competitors on America’s largest e-commerce platform—and how you can spot sham listings. (Source: Wall Street Journal)

December 17: ... A growing number of counterfeit sellers are swapping traditional, large-scale methods of transportation, such as via container ship, in favor of smaller – less obvious – methods. To be exact, they are looking to the mail – and express couriers, such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL – to send smaller quantities of goods as a way to evade detection by Customs agents. And to a large extent it is proving effective. (Source: The Fashion Law)

December 13: ... Amazon's counterfeit quandary dates back several years to when the company opened its marketplace doors to Chinese sellers. It's gotten so bad that in October, the American Apparel & Footwear Association recommended that certain Amazon sites across the globe be added to the U.S. government's annual "Notorious Markets" list, which identifies commerce sites and companies that facilitate the sale of counterfeit goods. (Source: CNBC)

It has been an incredibly busy year advocating across our shared interests in trade, supply chain, and brand protection. In addition to our work on Capitol Hill and around the globe, AAFA has developed educational programming and tools to support your day-to-day.

In case you missed it, here is a list of tools and research created in 2018:

AAFA Member Resources: Developed exclusively for AAFA members, these resources provide actionable recommendations and insights for the industry.

NEW TODAY - Health & Safety Guidelines for Workers in Denim Finishing.

In 2018, AAFA also collaborated with our Corporate Social Responsibility partner Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) to develop the Working Hours Best Practices and AAFA North Korea Guidance to help members improve compliance throughout their factories, released our new Proposition 65 Best Practices guidance, and the annual ApparelStats and ShoeStats. Stay tuned for new materials coming out in the coming weeks!

Open Industry Resources: AAFA was proud to release the 19th edition of our Restricted Substance List (RSL) this year. With detailed information about the regulations and laws restricting or banning chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products around the world, the RSL is a free tool for all parts of the apparel and footwear industry.

For more industry tools and research, visit aafaglobal.org/solutions.

Want to get more engaged with AAFA in 2019 and help us create positive change in the industry? Here are a few ways to get involved:

Meet our Team and don’t hesitate to contact us with questions.

Explore AAFA Committees to get the most out of your membership. 

Engage in AAFA coalitions and initiatives including the AAFA/FLA Commitment to Responsible Recruitment a proactive effort to address potential forced labor risks for migrant workers in the global supply chain; Americans for Free Trade a broad coalition of industries united against tariffs; or the U.S. Global Value Chain Coalition a group of industries on a mission to educate policymakers and the public about the American jobs and domestic economic growth generated through global value chains.

Build your travel calendar for 2019! In particular, we hope your company will be represented at the flagship AAFA Executive Summit: DEMAND + DELIVER and the Global Supply Chain & Trade Conference this spring. Also, the ever-popular Traceability Seminar (this year hosted by Target in Minneapolis). Information regarding all of these opportunities, our incredible American Image Awards gala, and our webinars, is available at aafaglobal.org/events. 

Thank you for subscribing to the AAFA Weekly Brief and stay tuned for the next edition after New Year’s! We truly appreciate your engagement and support as we continue to serve you in the new year. 

What else you should know this week: AAFA submitted post hearing comments regarding the GSP status of Indonesia and Thailand, as well as opposed the Senate's efforts to expand Federal Prison Industries. Learn more here.

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