National Spinning stands with the U.S. textile industry in urging the United States Trade Representative to maintain its current position for strong textile rules in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which include the “yarn-forward” rule-of-origin. From NAFTA to the recently implemented Korean free trade agreement, the yarn-forward rule has been an essential component of every U.S. free trade agreement over the past 25 years. This rule has a proven track record of job creation in the U.S. and our free trade areas, and is responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs among U.S. manufacturing workers and millions of direct and indirect jobs in countries south of our border and in Africa. Specifically, the yarn-forward rule is responsible for $25 billion in two-way trade between the United States and Mexico, Haiti, the CAFTA-DR countries and the Andean region.
Despite an often erroneous public perception, the US textile industry remains a vibrant part of our economy. We have recently worked with supply-chain partners to help US trade agencies understand the vast capabilities and creativity of US manufacturers currently in business.
The textile sector creates wealth for the USA by adding value to raw materials, marrying the creativity of people with the productivity of modern technology. There is a wide variety of yarn, fabric, and garment production in the USA. Markets include outerwear, innerwear (including intimate apparel), career apparel, military uniforms, napery, home furnishings, contract furnishings, and more.
US manufacturing creates good jobs. In 2010 NCTO estimated that over 400,000 Americans were collectively employed by US textile mills (NAICS 313), textile product mills (NAICS 314), and apparel producers (NAICS 315). In addition, some 116,000 were employed by the cotton industry and 27,000 in the manmade fiber industry. For each of these jobs there are corresponding “multiplier effect” jobs in supporting parts, services, and supplies.
We have been a key link in the US textile and apparel supply-chain since 1921–and hope to continue that tradition well into the future!
