By Julia K. Hughes

Zero percent.

Zero percent represents the duty rate that the U.S. fashion industry would like to see on day one of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Zero percent, unfortunately, also represents the number of fashion brands and retailers that currently use several Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) the U.S. has already negotiated, according to a recent U.S. Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study.

Obviously, the TPP negotiators need to do something different this time around.

In June, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), in conjunction with Dr. Sheng Lu of the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design, released the survey of executives at 29 of the largest, leading textile and apparel brands, retailers, importers, wholesalers and manufacturers based in the U.S. and doing business globally. These companies provided insight into their sourcing strategies and business outlook for the next 2-5 years, as well as views on key trade policy initiatives.

Click here to read the entire op-ed on the Sourcing Journal website.