Textile Groups Urge NAFTA Countries to Keep Current TPLs in Updated Deal
A coalition of nine textile associations urged trade officials from all three NAFTA countries to fully retain tariff preference levels (TPLs) for textiles, saying they help keep “NAFTA operations” competitive and product prices low, among other things. In a Sept.…
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20 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo, groups including the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the U.S. Fashion Industry Association and the Canadian Apparel Federation said continuing the “size and scope” of existing TPLs is “essential” to ensuring supply chains and North American jobs are not harmed. “Permanence is vital to giving companies the predictability to make long term investments in sourcing and manufacturing,” the letter says. “As a result, many of today's North American supply chains rely on these provisions to complement originating input purchases, to support manufacturing operations in all three countries, to provide their customers affordable fashions, and to continue using NAFTA despite the proliferation of sourcing options worldwide.” The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn’t comment.