US urged to give textiles critical supply chain status

Jangoulun Singsit

Wed, May 14, 2025, 4:35 AM 2 min read

The entreaty by American Circular Textiles follows a briefing astatine the White House by US USTR Ambassador Greer and Treasury Secretary Bessent, wherever the medication expressed its committedness to recalibrating commercialized relations betwixt the US and China, with a circumstantial accent connected "critical sectors" specified arsenic alloy and semiconductors.

While applauding US President Donald Trump, Greer, and Bessent for their dedication to safeguarding US industries and enhancing nationalist resilience, ACT pointed retired that the US is presently incapable to nutrient important items similar subject uniforms, cut-and-sew products and recycled fibres connected a ample scale.

This deficiency poses risks to the state successful some commercialized operations and nationalist defence.

American Circular Textiles CEO and laminitis Rachel Kibbe said: “You can’t speech astir rebuilding captious infrastructure without talking astir textiles. From subject uniforms to catastrophe effect and circular system innovation, this assemblage is foundational. The medication indispensable prioritise home textile capableness successful some commercialized and concern policy.”

ACT besides supports the ongoing efforts to adjacent the de minimis loophole, which has allowed a surge of ultra-fast manner and low-cost imports into the country. Closing this loophole is seen arsenic an indispensable determination towards restoring US competitiveness successful the industry.

Nevertheless, ACT emphasises the value of distinguishing secondhand goods from caller imports arsenic they lend importantly to biology sustainability and should not beryllium taxable to the aforesaid restrictions arsenic caller merchandise imports.

ACT intends to support dialog with Congress and the US medication to guarantee that some caller and recycled US textile infrastructures person attraction and protection.

The US and China have negotiated a impermanent easing of import tariffs for 90 days, which volition trim US tariffs connected Chinese imports to 30% (down from 145%) and Chinese tariffs connected US imports to 10%, starting from 14 May.

Earlier this month, the US National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) expressed its disagreement with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's remarks connected "precision manufacturing," which appeared to undermine the textile and apparel sectors' importance.

ACT unveiled a argumentation papers precocious entitled "A National Blueprint for Effective EPR," which presents the organisation's imaginativeness for establishing a scalable and infrastructure-focused extended shaper work (EPR) model for textiles wrong the US. This blueprint suggests a caller attack for formulating policies aimed astatine enhancing the sustainability of textile accumulation and discarded absorption successful the country.