“A well-functioning Western Hemisphere supply chain is vital to maintain American jobs at home, as well as employment in the region,” said Mr Spooner. “Any efforts to make it more difficult to source apparel from both Mexico and Canada will encourage sourcing from other parts of the world, and will reduce employment in the North American apparel supply chain.”

Spooner, who negotiated the textile and apparel provisions of ten US Free Trade Agreements while at USTR, emphasised the need to maintain the current global value chains in the Western Hemisphere. “While NAFTA needs updating, the agreement has become an integral part of many supply chains, and uncertainty about the future of the agreement hurts American companies. Especially considering the major challenges in the retail sector today, this is not the time to disrupt trade for these companies,” he said.

Click here to read the entire article on the Innovation in Textiles website.