Barnes & Thornburg was named one of the top five international trade practice groups of the year by Law360, one of the legal industry’s most important publications. Law360 selects winners based on the significance, size and complexity of the litigation wins and deals across the legal industry. USFIA Washington Counsel David Spooner, who serves as co-chair of the group, said, “We have a diverse group of top-notch attorneys, all of whom work very hard. Last year brought many opportunities and challenges to our clients, and it is gratifying that our group has received this recognition from Law360.” Congratulations, Barnes & Thornburg! (And don’t forget—you can hear David’s insight during USFIA Fashion Forward San Francisco on January 31!)

The CanopyStyle initiative, launched in 2013, has gained incredible momentum. Today, viscose producers representing close to 75% of the entire global capacity of viscose production have policies in place and 54% of supply has been audited through the CanopyStyle initiative. And it's been a busy few weeks for Canopy, with the launch of a new tool and new report.

In November, Canopy launched the ForestMapper, a one-of-a-kind interactive tool to visually represent ancient and endangered forests at a global scale. ForestMapper is the first iteration of a mapping tool that incorporates geospatial data from scientific experts to assist companies transitioning to more sustainable fiber supply chains and to help identify areas of potential sourcing risk. Bloomberg has more on the tool. Click here to learn more and launch the tool.

And in December, Canopy released the Hot Button Report, the yearly assessment of the performance of viscose and rayon producers to help them make responsible sourcing decisions, inform their engagement of suppliers, and reach their sustainability goals. This year, the report finds almost one third of global viscose supply is now verified as low risk of being sourced from the ancient and endangered forests, a testament to the good work of Canopy and their 160 brand partners. 

Highlights of producer performance in 2018 include:

• Three major producers, Lenzing, Birla Cellulose & filament yarn producer ENKA, representing 28% of global viscose supply, attained ‘light green shirt’ rankings;
• Yibin Grace, the world’s 5th largest by volume, is highlighted for proactively engaging with Canopy this year, and for quickly finalizing their policy and embarking on the CanopyStyle audit;
• Sanyou has risen to 4th place in the Hot Button rankings, earning a ‘yellow/green shirt’ indicating continuous progress;
• Sateri, a subsidiary of Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), earned the 10 ‘buttons’ needed to technically receive a yellow shirt, but was awarded a ‘yellow/red shirt’ due to confirmed high risk and sources of controversial fiber;
• Three producers have ‘red shirt’s, which indicate they do not meet minimum requirement for compliance;
• Three Chinese producers, Sateri, Sanyou and Fulida and German producer ENKA completed and published their CanopyStyle audits in 2018;
• Increasingly, viscose producers are taking action and playing an advocacy role to support the conservation of critical forest landscapes.

“With brands and retailers having clear purchasing guidelines to source only from Hot Button green-shirt producers from 2020 onwards, it is no longer an option for producers to ignore their forest impacts,” says Nicole Rycroft, Canopy Founder and Executive Director. “It is a clear sign that sustainable sourcing is imperative and that next generation solutions for the textile industry are on its way.”

The 2018 Hot Button edition encompasses a much deeper level of information & data to help brands avoid sourcing from the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests. As such, the report:

• Features for the first time a comprehensive list of 31 producers;
• Introduces a white shirt category for newly engaged producers that are yet to be fully assessed, as well as a market flag to highlight areas where caution and attention is required by the marketplace;
• Can be access online via a new interactive platform.

With projections for viscose use showing strong and continued growth, alternatives to forest-derived viscose are imperative. Catalyzing rapid and broad adoption of these next generation technologies and ‘disruptive’ innovation is a priority for Canopy and will feature prominently in the organization's work with fashion brands and textiles producers over the coming years. USFIA looks forward to continuing to work with Canopy on this important mission. 

We’d like to take a moment to thank our members, affiliates, and friends for your support and engagement in 2018. It certainly wasn’t the easiest year for those of us working in trade policy—but our mission to eliminate trade barriers and provide information and intelligence to the industry is more important than ever before. We’re grateful for your support, your enthusiasm, and of course, your commitment to providing affordable, responsible clothing for American families and high-quality jobs in the United States. We look forward to working with you in 2019!

And now, we present the USFIA Year in Review, with all the stats on our activities and your involvement over the past 12 months. 

Now Available: PwC Trade Intelligence Asia Pacific for October/November 2018

USFIA Premier Partner PwC has published its bimonthly trade intelligence on the Asia Pacific region. This issue covers topics including new bonded zone regulations and customs valuations in Indonesia, export control news in Japan and Philippines, examination and verification of the origin of exported goods in Vietnam, and the rising trade protectionism trend. Click here to download it.

In Case You Missed It… 

December 5: USFIA and Canopy hosted a webinar, Forest Fiber in Fashion: The CanopyStyle Initiative.

December 10: USFIA testified at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s hearing on the negotiating objectives for the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement. Our testimony is available here.

December 12: USFIA and Associate Member Vandegrift hosted a webinar, Keeping Up with the Compliance Challenges: What Brands and Retailers Need to Know in 2019.

December 18: USFIA testified at the U.S. International Trade Commission hearing on the probable economic effect of providing duty-free treatment for certain dutiable imports in the U.S.-EU Trade Agreement. Our testimony is available here.

Calendar of Events 

January 9 (Online): USFIA will host our semi-annual members-only State of the Industry Virtual Townhall, featuring USFIA leadership, legal counsel, and partners.

January 23 (Long Beach, CA): The Port of Long Beach will host the annual State of the Port, featuring lunch, networking, and an update on port news and activities.

January 31 (San Francisco, CA): USFIA will host Fashion Forward San Francisco at Levi Strauss & Co. We’ve confirmed several speakers from the Trump Administration and U.S. Customs & Border Protection as well as our legal counsel and partners.

February 4-7 (Las Vegas, NV): Save the Date for SOURCING at MAGIC! We’ll provide details on seminars and other special events soon.

April 2 (Washington, DC): The USFIA Board of Directors will meet.