March 2022 Textile and Apparel Import Report

On May 4, 2022, the Office of Textiles and Apparel reported that imports of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blends, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textile and apparel products totaled 9,373.6 million square meter equivalents (MSME) in March 2022, an increase of 39.0 percent compared to March 2021. Imports of textiles were 6,262.5 MSME in March 2022, up 47.4 percent from March 2021. Imports of apparel were 3,111.2 MSME in March 2022, up 24.8 percent from March 2021.

Imports of textiles and apparel were 26,073.8 MSME for the year-to-date March 2022, an increase of 39.0 percent from year-to-date March 2021. Imports of textiles were 17,722.3 MSME for the year-to-date March 2022, an increase of 46.9 percent from the year-to-date March 2021. Apparel imports for the year-to-date March 2022 were 8,351.5 MSME, up 24.7 percent from the year-to-date March 2021.

Read the report HERE.

Notice of Funds Availability; Cotton and Wool Apparel Program June 17 DEADLINE

On May 6, 2022, the Department of Agriculture published in the Federal Register (87 FR 27083 Notice of Funds Availability; Cotton and Wool Apparel Program.

"SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is announcing the availability of $50 million for the new Cotton and Wool Apparel Program (CAWA), which will support the domestic markets for wool and Pima cotton by assisting eligible apparel manufacturers of men's and boys' worsted wool suits, sport coats, pants, or Pima cotton dress shirts; Pima cotton spinners; and wool fabric manufacturers and wool spinners. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reduced the demand for these types of clothing, textiles, and threads, and in turn, the market for the raw commodities. CAWA will assist in the development and restoration of the market for domestically produced cotton and wool products and ultimately for the underlying commodities. To be eligible for CAWA, an applicant must have experienced a decrease of at least 15 percent in calendar year 2020 gross sales or consumption of eligible products described in this document compared to the applicant's gross sales or consumption in any selected calendar years 2017, 2018, or 2019. Payments to eligible entities will be based on their pre-pandemic market share relative to other similar applicants subject to payment limitations. The eligibility requirements, payment calculation, and application procedure for CAWA are included in this document.

"DATES:
Funding Availability: Implementation will begin May 6, 2022.
Applications Start Date: We will accept applications for funding starting on May 16, 2022.
Applications Due Date: We will accept applications for funding through June 17, 2022."

Emily Maling and other CPSC staff will participate in American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Spring Committee Meetings

Emily Maling, Consumer Product Safety Commission Directorate for Laboratory Sciences, and other CPSC staff will participate in American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Spring Committee Meetings on May 10-11, 2022 from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM ET via teleconference. For more information, including meeting call-in information, please contact Emily Maling at emaling@cpsc.gov or 301-987-2301.

Linum Home Textiles Recalls Children’s Robes Due to Violation of Federal Flammability Standards and Burn Hazard

Description: This recall involves children’s 100 percent cotton terry robes. The long-sleeved, hooded robes have two front pockets and a sewn-in, side-seam matching belt. The robes were sold in sizes small, medium and large and in the following colors: white, navy, pink, gray and purple. “Made in Turkey,” “100% Combed Turkish Cotton,” the size and the washing instructions are printed on a sewn-in, side-seam label.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled robes away from children and contact Linum Home Textiles to receive a pre-paid mailer and instructions on how to return the robe(s) for a full refund. The firm is also contacting consumers who purchased the robes directly from Linum Home Textiles.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported

Sold At: Online at Amazon.com, QVC.com, Overstock.com, Groupon.com, Wayfair.com, Zulily.com, Bedbathandbeyond.com, Boscovs.com, Houzz.com, JCPenney.com, Kohls.com, Linumtowels.com and TorreyCommerce.com from July 2017 through April 2022 for between $25 and $40.

Importer(s): Linum Home Textiles LLC, of Ridgefield, New Jersey

Manufactured In: Turkey

Recall number: 22-128

More information and photos HERE.

Children’s Robes Recalled Due to Burn Hazard; Imported by NewCosplay

Description: This recall involves NewCosplay children’s robes. The long-sleeved robes are made of 100% micro polyester and were sold in sizes 3T through 12. The robes were sold in 22 different patterns. The robes have a sewn-in side seam belt, two functional front pockets and a hood that is character theme with a mane, ears and horn. The sewn-in neck label displays the fiber content, washing instructions and “Made in China.” The sewn-in side seam label displays the garment’s size.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled robes away from children, stop using them and contact NewCosplay for a full refund. Consumers who purchased the robes from Amazon.com will be contacted through Amazon’s messaging platform and provided prepaid mailers to return the products for a full refund. Consumers can also contact NewCosplay to request a postage prepaid mailer to return the products for a full refund.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported

Sold At: Online at www.newcosplay.net and www.amazon.com from December 2021 through March 2022 for between $14 and $30, depending on the style.

Importer(s): NewCosplay, of China

Manufactured In: China

Recall number: 22-129

More information and photos HERE.

Winter Water Factory Recalls Infant French Terry Jumpsuits, Rompers, Snap Suits, Baby Dresses and Bibs Due to Choking and Laceration Hazards

Description: This recall involves all infant French terry jumpsuits, rompers, snap suits, baby dresses and bibs from the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 seasons. The garments were sold in infant sizes 0M – 3T in various prints in the following styles: French terry jumpsuit, long-sleeve romper, summer romper, tank top romper, bubble romper, footed romper, long-sleeve snap suit, short-sleeve snap suit, Azalea baby dress, Oslo baby Dress, Juniper baby dress, Geneva baby dress, Merano baby dress, Kerchief bib and French terry bib. Images of the recalled styles and prints are available on Winter Water Factory’s website at www.winterwaterfactory.com/pages/recall. The recalled garments can be identified by one of the following codes at the bottom of the label in the back of the neck:

TX-JM-I-XXII

TX-JM-VII-XXI

TX-JM-I-XXI

TX-JM-VII-XX

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled jumpsuits, rompers, snap suits, baby dresses and bibs and contact Winter Water Factory for instructions on how to receive a full refund or a refund in the form of a store credit. Consumers should destroy the recalled garments by cutting them in half with scissors and then upload a photo of the destroyed garment(s) to the company’s website at www.winterwaterfactory.com/pages/recall. Upon receipt of the photo, consumers will be issued their choice of a full refund of the purchase price or a store credit with an additional 20% of the purchase price.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 29 reports of snaps detaching between the prong ring and the stud or socket piece. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At: Small boutique stores nationwide and online at www.winterwaterfactory.com from August 2020 through April 2022 for between $19 and $49, depending on style.

Distributor(s): Winter Water Factory LLC, of Brooklyn, New York

Manufactured In: United States

Recall number: 22-130

More information and photos HERE.

NCTO President & CEO Kim Glas Issues Statement on USTR 301 Tariff Review

On May 4, 2022, the National Council of Textile Organizations issued the following statement--

“We have long advocated for the 301 penalty tariffs to remain on finished textile and apparel products from China. Not only do they increase the government’s negotiating leverage to address the Chinese government’s serious predatory trade practices that have hurt our domestic manufacturing sector and that of our free trade agreement partners for decades; they also send a strong message to China that the United States is committed to addressing systemic predatory trade practices that have undermined domestic industries and their workers.

For decades, China’s illegal actions have undermined virtually every domestic manufacturing sector and contributed to the direct loss of millions of U.S. jobs. These devastating state-sponsored practices, which include intellectual property theft, pervasive state-ownership of manufacturing, industrial subsidies, and abhorrent labor and human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, have allowed China to dominate the global marketplace, which has had severe ramifications on American workers and our Western Hemisphere trade allies. As sourcing executives seek to de-risk out of China for these products, our sector is experiencing massive investment in the U.S. and Western Hemisphere supply chains. In fact, we expect approximately $1 billion of investment announced in the United States and Central America this year alone, as penalty tariffs have played a key role in sourcing shifts.

We have long advocated for the tariffs to be maintained on finished textile and apparel products to ensure we address these larger systemic issues that have substantially hurt our manufacturing sector and offshored jobs.

Tariffs are a reasonable and necessary mechanism to support U.S. jobs, offset unacceptable practices, and strengthen the national economy. They help partially level the playing field for American manufacturers and workers trying to compete against unfair and illegal trade practices – ranging from intellectual property theft, forced labor, to state-sponsored subsidies – that have been perpetuated by the Chinese government. These products have flooded the U.S. market and put our domestic producers and their jobs at risk and have significantly contributed to offshoring and the destruction of the middle-class jobs. It’s critical we maintain key negotiating leverage to address these predatory trade behaviors.

We have also strongly advocated for a fair, transparent process to remove tariffs on certain limited textile machinery, chemicals and dyes that cannot be sourced domestically to help U.S. manufacturers compete against China.

The review process, which is required by statute and being undertaken by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, will allow domestic manufacturers to weigh in on whether removing the tariffs will be harmful and trigger USTR to do a further review.

Our position has not wavered; the U.S. must maintain Section 301 tariffs on finished products, in the absence of substantive improvements in China’s pervasive, predatory trade practices. Lifting these penalty duties will cement China’s destructive dominance of global manufacturing and will do nothing to achieve the administration’s goal of easing inflationary pressures, as apparel prices out of China continue to hit rock bottom regardless of the Section 301 tariffs.”