Announcement Archive

05/03/2024 – March 2024 Textile and Apparel Import Report
04/25/2024 – Determination to Approve CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Request for Certain Double-Knit Jacquard Fabric. File Number: CA2024001.
04/24/2024 – Federal Register Notice requesting public comments on the commercial availability of high tenacity polyester yarns under the USMCA.
04/23/2024 – USTR is initiating an investigation of acts, policies, and practices of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) targeting the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance. The Section 301 Committee will convene a public hearing on May 29 and is seeking public comments by May 22. For more information see 89 FR 29424.
04/04/2024 – February 2024 Textile and Apparel Import Report
03/14/2024 – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) requests comments and will hold a public hearing to inform objectives and strategies that advance U.S. supply chain resilience in trade negotiations, enforcement, and other initiatives. April 12, 2024: Due date for filing requests to appear and a summary of expected testimony at the public hearing; April 22, 2024: Due date for submission of written comments; May 2, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing in the main hearing room of the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436 beginning at 10:00 a.m.; and May 16, 2024: Due date for submission of post-hearing written comments from persons who testified at the public hearing.
03/07/2024 – January 2024 Textile and Apparel Import Report
02/08/2024 – December 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
02/07/2024 – OTEXA to attend Sourcing at MAGIC on February 13-15 in Las Vegas, NV. Sourcing at MAGIC is a domestic and international gathering of manufacturers, suppliers and service providers from apparel and footwear manufacturing, to textiles, supply chain logistics, and technology solutions. OTEXA staff will attend the show to meet with clients to discuss OTEXA services, business-to-business matchmaking, and the Made in USA Sourcing and Product Directory. Come find us at Booth #60309. Hope to see you there!
02/06/2024 – Determination to Approve CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Request for Certain Nylon Dobby Weave Fabric. File Number: CA2023002.
01/31/2024 – The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will hold a hearing on March 11 for its investigation into the export competitiveness of the apparel industries in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Requests to appear at the hearing are due Feb. 23, pre-hearing briefs and statements are due Feb. 27, and post-hearing briefs, statements, and all other written submissions for the record are due March 25. See Meeting Notice for more information.
01/22/2024 – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has opened a public docket for comments on 352 previously reinstated and 77 COVID-related exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. The USTR will evaluate each exclusion on a case-by-case basis and will focus on availability of the product outside of China, the impact of extending the exclusion on U.S. interests, and the overall impact of the exclusion on the goals of the Section 301 tariffs, among other factors. Importantly, interested parties seeking to comment on more than one exclusion must submit a separate comment for each exclusion.
01/08/2024 – November 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
01/03/2024 – Determination to Approve CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Request for Certain Two-Way Stretch Polyester/Spandex Woven Fabric: File Number CA2023001.
01/01/2024 – The Islamic Republic of Mauritania has had their eligibility restored under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), while the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda have been removed from the Trade Preference Program. For more details see the Presidential Proclamation.
12/29/2023 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has extended two tranches of exclusions, 352 previously reinstated exclusions and 77 COVID-related exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods to provide a transition period and allow for further consideration of these products under the ongoing four-year review, which is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2024. The two sets of exclusions, slated to expire on December 31, 2023, will be extended until May 31, 2024. USTR will be opening a docket on January 22, 2024 to receive public comments on whether to further extend particular exclusions beyond May 31, 2024, which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For more details, see the Federal Register notice 88 FR 90225.
12/18/2023 - Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Haiti Under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), as Amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE): For the period December 20, 2023 through December 19, 2024, the annual quantitative limit of the Haiti Hope Value-Added program is 313,655,640 square meters equivalent (SME).
12/06/2023 - October 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
11/07/2023 - September 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
10/05/2023 – August 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
09/26/2023 – Federal Register Notice (FRN) on the Limitations on Duty and Quota-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Beneficiary Sub-Saharan African Countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The new AGOA caps are for the one-year period from October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024.
09/11/2023 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has extended two tranches of exclusions—352 previously reinstated exclusions and 77 COVID-related exclusions—from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods to provide a transition period and allow for further consideration of these products under the ongoing four-year review, which is expected to be completed in the Fall. The two sets of exclusions, which were set to expire on September 30, have been extended until December 31, 2023. For more details, see the Federal Register notice 88 FR 62423.
09/12/2023 – USTR invites comments to assist in identifying significant barriers to U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. foreign direct investment, and U.S. electronic commerce for inclusion in the annual National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE Report). Deadline for submission of comments is October 23, 2023. See the Federal Register notice 88 FR 62421 for further details and instructions.
09/06/2023 – July 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
08/25/2023 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requests comments identifying online and physical markets to be considered for inclusion in the 2023 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy (Notorious Markets List). Written comments are due by October 6, 2023. For more details, see Federal Register notice 88 FR 58055.
08/17/2023 – The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee is seeking public comment to assist the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the preparation of its annual report to Congress on China’s compliance with its obligations as a Member of the World Trade Organization. Written comments, requests to testify, and written testimony are due by September 20. A public hearing is scheduled for October 4. See Federal Register notice 88 FR 56117 for more information.
08/16/2023 – The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee is seeking public comment to assist the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the preparation of its annual report to Congress on Russia’s implementation of its obligations as a Member of the World Trade Organization. Written comments, requests to testify, and written testimony are due by September 20. A public hearing is scheduled for October 12. See Federal Register notice 88 FR 53576 for more information.
08/08/2023 – June 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
07/06/2023 – May 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
06/07/2022 – April 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
05/19/2023 – Climate Adaptation Export Competitiveness Request for Information: The International Trade Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, released a Request for Information on the Federal Register seeking public comments on opportunities and challenges for U.S. exporters of climate adaptation and resilience-related technologies and services. We welcome input from U.S. industry to help align U.S. trade promotion and trade policy activities to those sectors and markets that present the greatest opportunities for exporters of climate adaptation and resilience-related technologies and services, as well as to address relevant trade barriers and promote U.S. industry competitiveness. This FRN also supports the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaption and Resilience (PREPARE). Please see additional details in the Federal Register announcement. Comments are requested no later than June 30, 2023.
05/04/2023 – March 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
04/05/2023 – February 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Report
3/08/2023 – January 2023 Textile and Apparel Import Repot
2/07/2023 – December 2022 (Full Year) Textile and Apparel Import Report
2/07/2023 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) extends the exclusion of products from additional duties imposed under the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. USTR has extended exclusions for 81 COVID related products through May 15, 2023 to allow for consideration of public comments regarding whether to further extend particular exclusions. The public docket for interested persons to submit comments will be open until March 7, 2023. For more details see Federal Register notice 88 FR 8027. USTR previously extended the exclusion of 352 products from additional duties through September 30, 2023. For more details see Federal Register notice 87 FR 78187.
1/05/2023 – November 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
1/4/2023 – Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Haiti Under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), as Amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE): For the period December 20, 2022 through December 19, 2023, the annual quantitative limit of the Haiti HOPE Value-Added program is 412,506,163 square meters equivalent (SME).
12/21/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) extends the exclusion of 352 products from additional duties imposed under the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The exclusions, scheduled to expire on December 31, 2022, have been extended for nine months through September 30, 2023. For more details see Federal Register notice 87 FR 78187. Exclusions covering 81 medical-care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled to expire on November 30, previously had been extended for an additional three months, through February 28, 2023. For more details see Federal Register notice 87 FR 73383.
12/06/2022 – October 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
11/29/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) extends exclusions of certain medical-care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic from additional duties imposed under the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The previous exclusions covering 81 products, scheduled to expire on November 30, have been extended for an additional three months, through February 28, 2023. For more details see Federal Register notice 87 FR 73383.
11/03/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting comments as part of its statutory four-year review of two actions taken under the Section 301 Investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. USTR is seeking public comments on the effectiveness of certain actions taken in achieving the objectives of the investigation, other actions that could be taken, and the effects of such actions on the U.S. economy, including consumers. A public docket on USTR’s web portal will be open from November 15, 2022 to January 17, 2023 for interested persons to submit comments. See Federal Register notice 87 FR 62914 for more information and the Preview of Questions for the Four-Year Review.
11/03/2022 – September 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
10/05/2022 - The U.S. Department of Commerce requests input and recommendations regarding a draft list of critical goods and materials per Executive Order 14017, which outlines U.S. policy objectives with respect to strengthening the resilience of America’s supply chains. Commerce requests comments on or before November 3, 2022 addressing the make-up of the draft list, including any recommended product additions or subtractions. See Federal Register notice 87 FR 60118 for more details and the draft list of products.
10/05/2022 – August 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
09/21/2022 - Federal Register Notice 87 FR 57681 on the Limitations on Duty and Quota-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Beneficiary Sub-Saharan African Countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The new AGOA caps are for the one-year period from October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023.
09/15/2022 – USTR invites comments to assist in identifying significant barriers to U.S. exports of goods and services, U.S. foreign direct investment, and U.S. electronic commerce for inclusion in the annual National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE Report). Deadline for submission of comments is October 28, 2022. See the Federal Register notice 87 FR 56741 for further details and instructions.
08/26/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requests comments identifying online and physical markets to be considered for inclusion in the 2022 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy (Notorious Markets List). Written comments are due by October 7, 2022. For more details, see Federal Register notice 87 FR 52609.
08/15/2022 – The International Trade Administration (ITA) has developed an interactive training course to help U.S. firms and the public understand the laws and regulations that prevent goods made with forced labor from entering the United States. See the interactive training entitled Human Trafficking: Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains on ITA’s Forced Labor in Supply Chains webpage.
08/05/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking public comments on matters relevant to specified trade areas that will help develop objectives and positions for enhanced engagement and subsequent negotiation under the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership. Written comments are due by September 16, 2022. See the Federal Register notice 87 FR 48060 for further details.
08/04/2022 – July 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
08/04/2022 – June 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
07/25/2022 – The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is seeking input concerning a proposed modification to the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) rules of origin for Certain Fabrics of Triacetate Filament Yarns. At the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the USITC instituted investigation No. U.S.-Korea FTA-103-033 for the purpose of providing advice on the proposed modification. Written comments are due by August 26, 2022. See the Federal Register notice for further details.
07/21/2022 – In accordance with the Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act, President Biden issued an executive order on June 27, 2022, increasing tariffs to 35 percent on certain products from Russia. The higher tariffs—including those on a number of textile, apparel, footwear, and travel goods products—are effective 30 days after the date of the order. See Presidential Proclamation 10420 for further details and a list of affected products.
06/14/2022 – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released importer guidance to assist the trade community in preparing for the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) rebuttable presumption that goes into effect on June 21, 2022. The UFLPA requires CBP to apply a presumption that imports of all goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, or by entities identified by the U.S. government on the UFLPA Entity List, are presumed to be made with forced labor and are prohibited from entry into the United States. See the UFPLA Operational Guidance for Importers on the CBP website
06/06/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) extends exclusions of certain medical-care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic from additional duties imposed under the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The previous exclusions covering 81 products scheduled to expire on May 31, has been extended for an additional six months, through November 30, 2022. For more details see Federal Register notice 87 FR 33871.
05/12/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has begun the statutory four-year review of the two actions taken under the Section 301 Investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. USTR is notifying domestic industry representatives, which benefit from the Section 301 actions, of the possible termination of additional tariffs applied on certain imports from China and of the opportunity for these representatives to request continuation. Requests for continuation must be received by July 5, 2022, for the July 6, 2018 action and by August 22, 2022, for the August 23, 2018 action. An opportunity for public comment from all interested parties will be announced as part of the review process. See Federal Register notice 87 FR 26797 for more information.
05/12/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its 2022 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. USTR reviewed more than one hundred trading partners for this year’s Special 301 Report and placed twenty-seven of them on the Priority Watch List or Watch List.
04/07/2022 – The European Union (EU) will be putting forward several pieces of legislation in 2022 to achieve its circular economy transition. One initiative, the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) will focus on “key product value chains” (including textiles) that the Commission sees as requiring “urgent, comprehensive and coordinated action” to jumpstart the transition to circularity. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles was published on March 30, 2022. For more information, see the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles webpage. For information on how U.S. businesses can engage with the EU on circular economy, see the Service-EU market intelligence article.
04/05/2022 – February 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report.
03/24/2022 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced the reinstatement of certain previously granted and extended product exclusions in the Section 301 Investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The determination reinstates 352 of the 549 eligible exclusions. The reinstated product exclusions will apply as of October 12, 2021, and extend through December 31, 2022. For more information and product details, see the Federal Register notice.
03/22/2022 – Comments are requested regarding the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to deepen economic relations in the region and coordinate approaches to address global economic challenges. The U.S. Department of Commerce is seeking public comments on key areas of interest, including: digital and emerging technologies; supply chain resilience; infrastructure, decarbonization, and clean energy; and tax and anti-corruption—see Federal Register notice 87 FR 13971 . The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking public comments on U.S. interests and priorities in order to develop negotiating objectives and positions and identify potential partners—see Federal Register notice 87 FR 13789 . Comments must be submitted on or before April 11, 2022.
03/18/2022 – Effective March 14, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining merchandise produced or manufactured by Li-Ning Sporting Goods at all U.S. ports of entry. This enforcement action is the result of a CBP investigation indicating Li-Ning Sporting Goods uses North Korean labor in its supply chain. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) prohibits the entry of goods, wares, and articles mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in party by North Korean nationals or North Korean citizens anywhere in the world, unless clear and convincing evidence is provided that such goods were not made with forced labor. For more details, see the CBP Press Release and CBP’s CAATSA FAQs.
03/18/2022 – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on behalf of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), will hold a virtual public hearing on April 8, 2022 on the use of forced labor in China and potential measures to prevent the importation of goods made with such labor. In January, the FLETF had requested comments from the public, as required by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (Federal Register notice 87 FR 3567). Members of the public interested in providing public testimony at the hearing must register here by March 30. See Federal Register notice 87 FR 15448 for more details about the hearing.
03/15/2022 – Effective March 11, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has banned the export, reexport, and transfer (in country) of luxury goods to all end users in Russia and Belarus and to certain Russian and Belarusian oligarchs and malign actors located worldwide. This action is in response to Russia’s brutal, continuing invasion of Ukraine (as substantially enabled by Belarus) in flagrant violation of international law. Among the restricted products are various apparel, home textile, floor covering, tents/camping/boating, footwear, and travel goods products. For more details and a full list of products, see the Federal Register notice 87 FR 14785.
03/15/2022 – The European Union (EU) will be putting forward several pieces of legislation over the course of 2022 to achieve its circular economy transition. One initiative, the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) will focus on “key product value chains” (identified as electronics, information and communication technologies, textiles, furniture, steel, cement, and chemicals) that the Commission sees as requiring “urgent, comprehensive and coordinated action” to jumpstart the transition to circularity. The SPI is expected to be published on March 30. For more information on the SPI and how U.S. businesses can engage with the EU on circular economy, see the U.S. Commercial Service-EU market intelligence article.
03/08/2022 – January 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report
03/02/2022 – The European Commission is inviting public comments on how best to reduce the amount of unintentionally released microplastics into the environment. This public consultation supports the Commission’s initiative on reducing microplastics pollution, as part of its Circular Economy Action Plan and Zero Pollution Action Plan. The consultation focusses on sources known to release the largest quantity of microplastics, such as plastic pellets, synthetic textiles, and tires. See the European Commission’s Microplastic public consultation webpagefor more details.
02/06/2022 – December 2021 Textile and Apparel Import Report
01/25/2022 – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on behalf of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), is seeking comments from the public, as required by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, on how best to ensure that goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with forced labor in the People’s Republic of China are not imported into the United States. Comments must be received on or before March 10, 2022. See Federal Register notice 87 FR 3567 for details.
01/06/2022 – November 2021 Textile and Apparel Import Report
01/05/2022 – Webinar on Complying with Made in USA Labeling Standards- January 19/ 2 pm EST