Delivering Innovation to the Moon and Beyond

Technology-Based Solutions Provider Makes Performance Textiles Better

Today’s textile companies thrive on making ordinary fabrics do extraordinary things, and high-performance textiles is one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments.

“Textiles” refers to a simple woven, knit or nonwoven substrate. So how has an 88-year-old company founded on a single graphited lubrication product for automobiles become a world leader in performance textiles without weaving or sewing a single product?

Cathy Knowles, marketing manager for Lubrizol’s Engineered Polymers business, says Lubrizol is a technology-based solutions provider rather than a traditional textiles company.

“Our work begins at the molecular level, where we add value by delivering chemistries that differentiate and optimize the quality and performance of products,” she said. “The work we do is market-facing, customer-centric and innovation-driven.”

Lubrizol might not be a household name, but its unique formulations have made possible many of the distinct characteristics that drive consumer-buying decisions when it comes to today’s most popular performance textiles.

Jack Scott, global applications manager for Lubrizol’s Performance Coatings business, says the company’s groundbreaking work is challenging and rewarding.

“We are continually developing new chemistries and gaining more understanding of how our products work in end-use applications,” he said. “We have a fundamental passion for innovation and developing materials to match market needs; it’s gratifying to see an idea make it from the lab to consumers who love it, even if they don’t know our name.”

Many of today’s leading, billion-dollar performance textile brands rely on Lubrizol’s molecular innovations to integrate advanced functional, aesthetic and durability benefits into their consumer products.

“We support brands by working with customers who represent generations in the textile industry, and their businesses are growing,” Knowles said. “They’re adding capacity including new capital investment in equipment and workforce expansion to meet greater demand.”

Lubrizol’s formulations help make footwear more cushioned, yoga pants more fitted, compression gear more comfortable and outdoor gear more protective.

“We’re driven to push the innovation envelope, and what we add makes the difference,” said Matt Dudas, global market segment manager for Lubrizol Performance Coatings. “When the U.S. wanted to go to the moon, we provided NASA with a textile innovation in aluminized nylon – the space program’s classic silver suit that protected John Glenn in the first manned earth orbit. When it’s time to explore Mars and beyond, we’ll be there with our next-generation fibers, films, coatings, inks and adhesives.

“American textiles are helping make the world’s future aspirations a reality.”

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From Harry Potter’s Invisible Cloak to Activewear that Breathes on Its Own…

…the Textile Industry is Going Places We Never Imagined

What comes to mind when you consider the word textile? If you stopped at thread, fabric or yarn, it may be time to expand your textile horizon. The modern textile industry is going places we never expected or imagined. Through cutting-edge projects in disciplines like color chemistry, 3-D printing and microbiology, industry trailblazers hope to awaken the public to the audacious world of textile innovation.

“Due to the accelerating pace of change, opportunities are abounding for those currently in the industry, as well as those looking to join the textile field,” said Marcia Weiss, associate textile design professor at Philadelphia University. “Among students, there is great interest in new technologies, sustainable textiles and cultural, artisanal textiles. Seeing how students mix these mediums is both captivating and inspiring.”

Ally Leedy, senior textile student at Raleigh’s North Carolina State University, is one such student. As one of only 60 students in the world majoring in polymer and color chemistry with a concentration in science and operations, Leedy’s niche educational experience makes her especially valuable to leading textile brands.

“I’ve observed and conducted a range of research experiments while in school. Recently, I created a goo using sound waves. With further processing, the goo can be made into tiny micro fibers that, when layered upon each other, can filter toxins from blood,” said Leedy. “It’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of the industry, when every day, I witness students exploring textiles through chemical experimentation and absorbing guest lectures from Nobel Prize-winning professors.”

To introduce students to refractive index theory, Leedy’s professor placed an oil-filled shot glass inside an upright pint glass. He proceeded to fill the pint glass with the same oil, and as he did, the shot glass disappeared. It sounds like a magic trick, but the professor applies this theory to his textile research, hoping to discover fabrics with negative indexes and in turn creating fabrics that essentially appear to be invisible. Cue Harry Potter’s cloak.

Brianna Brinkley, senior fashion design student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, echoed Leedy’s sentiments: “I recently took a textile class that addressed the future of fabrics comprised of cotton, wool and silk, and it amazed me. It’s hard to wrap your mind around just how many fabrics are out there and the thousands of ways they are created.”

One microbiology case study highlighted by Brinkley’s professor chronicles a Brooklyn-based biotech startup’s efforts to grow ready-to-wear materials. The company, Modern Meadow, uses bovine cells to create a dense material similar to cowhide. By influencing cell cultures, scientists can customize a material’s strength, texture, weight and elasticity. Modern Meadow scientists and creatives hope to ultimately fashion a type of leather that is lightweight, transparent, stretchy and responsive.

“Concepts of microbiology are being applied to a range of fashion products,” Brinkley said. “I am particularly intrigued by athletic apparel, and I was wowed by a New Balance project that used bacteria to create a synthetic ‘second skin’ that physically transforms when exposed to moisture. When a person’s body temperature reaches a certain point, the second skin responsively opens up and allows sweat to evaporate.”

Using Atomic Force microscopes, a micron resolution printer and other tools, researchers at MIT Media Lab’s Tangible Media Group attached these bacteria to wearable fabric. The team developed many performance tests using a variety of patterns and shapes of cells; tests ranged from folding and bending exercises to raising a texture on a cloth. Designers then integrated the printed film composites into clothing using heat maps to determine where the body sweats most during exercise.

“These projects speak to why it is important for the industry to train future generations,” said Bill Jasper, chief executive officer of Unifi, Inc. “As the region and industry move into a more sophisticated era, it’s becoming increasingly important to have prepared, passionate, innovative and thoughtful young talent. We’ve hired many young engineers and chemists over the last few years, and we’ve tasked them with developing what’s next for our company and driving sustainability throughout the industry.”

Unifi manufactures an array of textile products including multi-filament POY (partially oriented yarn), textured and staple polyester, nylon textured yarns, recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) chip and premier value-added yarns with enhanced performance characteristics. One such value-added yarn is Unifi’s Repreve® product. Repreve is a family of recycled fibers made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. Repreve turns the bottles into items worn and used every day, creating a “reprieve” for the planet.

“We continue to invest in research and development, especially from a functionality standpoint. We enjoy working with Ford, The North Face, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and others to develop innovative projects and initiatives,” Jasper said. “It’s amazing where these types of partnerships take the industry. Right now, with Repreve, we’re transforming bottle and polyester waste into yarn, which ultimately ends up in products like The North Face jackets and automobile interiors.”

This industry is technical. It’s savvy. It’s sophisticated. According to SelectUSA, U.S. textile exports increased by 45 percent between 2009 and 2014, to $18.3 billion. Additionally, as of 2014, the textile industry has supplied more than 372,000 jobs, in turn supporting an additional 1.12 million American jobs. Because a single textile product requires input from many sources in order to be produced, government statistics indicate that one textile job supports an additional three jobs within the chemical, energy, shipping, rail, banking, water and energy production sectors.

“Since I entered college, textile careers have continued to shift and evolve, and that evolution excites me,” Leedy said. “I’m hopeful as I enter the job hunt, because those I’m learning from and about are incredibly intelligent. These industry leaders are not only smart enough to dream up innovative ideas, but they are also bold enough to attempt them. That boldness captivates me.”

Leedy’s optimistic outlook resonates with Brinkley, Weiss and Jasper. Whether student, professor or CEO, there is a general consensus that the industry is heading in a progressive and innovative direction. Textile workers are becoming more skilled, while the industry as a whole is becoming more technologically advanced. And aspects of Harry Potter’s world of wizardry may just be within our reach after all.

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Denim that Transcends Time

Denim is ingrained in our culture. It’s in the movies we watch, the songs we listen to and the closets we envy. It tags along on our first date to the school dance, and it’s waiting for us when we get home from the first day at our first job. It stands by us during our successes and failures. It subtly reminds us of the past, makes us feel good in the present and eases our anxiety concerning the future. Our denim knows us, inside and out.

“Denim is something we talk about as being extremely personal. It’s unlike any other fabric, because it can adopt the characteristics of the person wearing the jeans,” said Kara Nicholas, vice president of product design and marketing for Cone Denim. “People create a bond with their favorite pair of jeans. More than any other item in a closet, jeans tell your story.”

Cone Denim, a supplier of denim fabrics to top denim apparel brands, was established in 1891 by brothers Moses and Ceasar Cone. More than a century later, the brand remains focused on its core principles: innovation, art and American heritage.

“The dichotomy of old alongside new is something distinctive to Cone Denim,” said Nicholas. “Our 110-year-old White Oak plant runs a 1940s loom next to the modern looms, the next generation works alongside operators with 60 years of experience, and we still use a long-chain dyeing process developed by our employees in the 1920s. Thanks to our rich history, we are able to provide people with iconic denim.”

Cone Denim strives to strike the ideal balance between artistic heritage and scientific innovation. With scientists, fabric construction experts, and loom technicians and operators all in-house, the company endeavors to be on the forefront of product innovation and ahead of market trends.

“We understand the pulse of the market, and we want to provide brands with innovations they can count on, such as sustainability initiatives, new moisture management, antimicrobial properties and other performance technologies,” said Nicholas. “We’re constantly weaving these innovations into our long and glorious, unique history.”

Denim enthusiasts worldwide recognize Cone Denim for its place in history as the creator of long-chain indigo dyeing, denim sanforization and Cone’s Deeptone Denim, introduced in 1936. Furthermore, the White Oak mill is recognized for its re-creation of vintage selvage denim.

“It’s about connecting with people and meeting them wherever their love of denim lies: vintage or contemporary, light or dark, worn or like new. No other fabric moves so easily from the NYC runway to rugged cowboy to workwear,” Nicholas said. “Other fabrics don’t speak to people like denim. Denim excites and inspires. It gives you a feeling that you can’t quite pinpoint.

“At Cone Denim, we’re in the business of sharing our passion and inspiring denim.”

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By the Numbers: Examining the Resurgence of the Textile Industry

American textile workers are busy making things customers around the world want to buy, rewriting the popular narrative of the industry’s demise.

Mount Vernon Mills Vice President and Secretary Ned Cochrane has seen it all in his 30-plus years at the Mauldin, South Carolina-based manufacturer. He said the industry’s resurgence is real and sustainable thanks to a confluence of factors and circumstances.

“Servicing the customer is the most important thing we do, and we do it better (domestically) than any country in the world,” he said. “Customers today want something special or unique; they want to be different from the next guy; they want consistent quality, and they know that in order to get that, they have to do business domestically.”

Bringing Textiles Home

Higher labor rates, transportation costs and energy tabs in Asia, coupled with a substantial appreciation in the value of the Yuan, have helped spur a blended marketplace strategy with a strong focus on American-made textiles. The industry generated $56.7 billion in shipments in 2015 – a five-year increase of 13.4 percent – decades after many thought U.S. textiles were dead.

Made in America is back, and it’s likely to stay.

Retailers from Wal-Mart to Abercrombie & Fitch are responding, creating sections for American-made items and sourcing goods domestically. In fact, Wal-Mart, which pioneered global sourcing to find the lowest-priced goods for customers, said it would increase spending with American suppliers by $50 billion over the next decade — and save money by doing so. Businesses in need of fast-turn, high-quality, low-risk goods have found a new sourcing spot, right where it used to be.

“We believe that U.S. consumers will increasingly position their support behind brands and companies that are investing in the USA,” said Peter Iliopoulos, Senior Vice President of Public & Corporate Affairs for Gildan, a leading supplier of quality branded family apparel. “We have invested $350 million in the U.S. in the past three years. Gildan has leveraged the great quality and superior value of USA cotton complimented with a strong base of skilled labor, low energy costs and a stable investment climate.”

Building the Modern Factory

Advantages of today’s U.S. textile industry include new manufacturing facilities filled with state-of-the-art equipment and a skilled workforce that can do substantially more with less. Between 2002 and 2012, U.S. textile mills increased productivity by 34 percent, tops among all industrial sectors in productivity increases. Gone are the days of Dungarees and lunch pails. Today’s U.S. factories aren’t the clangorous, dusty places where lappers fed raw cotton into the sharp metal teeth of carding machines for eight hours a day. Low-wage, low-tech jobs are out, and comprehensive computer skills and specialized training are in; the new Made in America economic ecosystem relies on customization, cutting-edge technologies and workers who have mastered the machines.

“Our ownership has reinvested more than $100 million back into the company to modernize facilities and increase productivity,” said Cochran. “We went out and got the best equipment money could buy, so we needed a more skilled workforce to handle it. As a result, our productivity is through the roof.”

“We have invested (significantly) in new equipment, technology and process improvements over the last 10 years,” said Iliopoulos. “Many of the innovative solutions now in our facilities were deployed through collaboration between our employees and our suppliers. We do not believe we could have achieved this level of success without that connection between our people and technology.”

Creating Jobs and Growing the Bottom Line

Increased demand and investments in technology have helped American textile companies achieve phenomenal growth, both in domestic job creation and the bottom line.

The increased demand for quality, domestically sourced textiles from state-of-the-art U.S. facilities has stemmed the tide of job losses that characterized the industry during the Great Recession. Today, the overall textile sector – from textile fibers to apparel – employs more than 500,000 workers.

The rise of the machines has also correlated to a rise in pay for skilled textile workers. In 2014, the average textile wage was $37,900 compared to $28,216 in 2002. In fact, textile workers earn 143 percent more than apparel store workers while also receiving health care and pension benefits.

“The introduction of more sophisticated technology within each process, with complicated circuitry and software driving almost all textile equipment, has elevated textile jobs,” Iliopoulos said. “We believe the shift toward sustainability in textiles has also created (job) opportunities, and the factors driving these changes will likely continue into the future.”

A future forged from innovation.

Innovating for the Future

“When things get tough, the easy thing to do is quit,” said ITG’s Burlington Group President Jeff Peck. “And once you quit, you’ve sealed your fate. So even when we were down, we never stopped development, and we never stopped innovating. Our customers today want products that do more and that have a story to tell, so they can create differentiation in the marketplace.”

Thinking differently has paid off for ITG. In 2007, just six years after filing for bankruptcy, ITG’s Burlington Group launched Burlington Labs, a state of the art “petri-dish” where ideas become reality.

“We have become a lightning rod for inventors and for emerging technology, because we can take raw ideas and commercialize them at lightning speed. Customers see this and ask, can you do this? And because of Burlington Labs, we can say yes.”

Innovation in the industry has led to two new growth categories – nonwovens and technical textiles. Nonwovens are fiber-based products made of fabric that is compressed, heated or tangled, like felt. Envelopes, facial wipes, mops and medical scrubs are nonwovens. In the last decade, North Carolina has gained 1,945 jobs in the nonwoven products business.

Technical textiles are manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes, where function is the primary criterion. Products include protective clothing for firefighters, welders and astronauts; medical applications such as implants; and geotextiles that include reinforcements for embankments. Technical textiles have become one of the hottest growth categories for the industry, with a 34.9 percent increase in exports from 2007 to 2014.

“Innovation was our salvation,” Cochran said. “When times were tough, we were forced to innovate to find new products that could help us sell, like technical textiles. Now innovation is part of our DNA. It’s who we are. After all, what you make is what makes you.”

The U.S. textile industry has grown by leaps and bounds, but Made in the USA makers are far from done. These companies are recognized as world-leaders in research and development and are developing new products everyday, from antiballistic body armor and conductive fibers to fabrics that adjust to climate change and smart textiles that use fabric to purify the water with nothing but sunlight.

“Today’s end-users don’t just wear textiles for comfort, they rely on them,” Peck said. “They need textiles for their safety, their health and their wellness. What we do now is more important than it’s ever been.”

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Can You Hear Me Now? Staying Connected on the Road

Using a hands-free cell phone via Bluetooth means parents can keep pace with their family’s busy schedule, and business people can make the most of travel time.

Those conversations wouldn’t be possible without a quiet passenger cabin. American textile industry innovations make automobile passenger cabins quieter, so Americans can safely stay connected on the road.

Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Milliken & Company combines material science with engineering to create nonwoven textile acoustic panels found in vehicle doors, trunks, floors and wheel wells. The panels result in quieter passenger cabins and lighter vehicles.

“People traditionally think of textiles as inexpensive materials that are coverings,” said Milliken Spokeswoman Barbara Haaksma. “We make textiles that play a role in automotive innovation, including improved performance, aesthetics and interior air quality.”

Milliken’s acoustic panels have proven to be 27 percent to 45 percent lighter than previous panels, contributing to improved fuel economy. Additionally, the company engineers panels used in underbody areas to absorb less moisture and dry more quickly, so rain and ice buildup don’t add weight on rainy or snowy days.

“We’re investing in acoustics, including in-house testing capabilities, to push performance further,” said Brandon Roberts, business strategy director with Milliken & Company. “As we make acoustic panels more sound-absorbent, lighter and weather-resistant, automakers have more opportunities to expand their use beyond premium vehicles, and that means improved safety for everyone on the road.”

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Waste Diversion: Nonwoven Textiles from Scrap

Leigh Fibers President Donald Bockoven will likely smile if you tell him his company is doing a “shoddy job” with regards to the American automotive industry.

That’s because Leigh Fibers, a textile waste recycler, helps divert nearly 160 million pounds of global textile waste from landfills each year. The company converts scrap from textile manufacturers into fiber that can be used to manufacture a variety of products that make vehicles lighter and safer and their passenger cabins, quieter. One of these products is known in the industry as “Shoddy.”

“We’ve turned the waste textile manufacturers would have to pay to send to a landfill into something valuable, and depending on its value, we pay them for it,” Bockoven said. “By creating a revenue stream from their waste, we help them reinvest in their companies and reduce landfill waste at the same time.”

That saves the textile industry between $6.4 million and $9.6 million annually in global landfill tipping fees.

In addition to purchasing textile waste product, Leigh Fibers also helps textile companies and others become “zero waste” operations by devising plans to keep waste streams separate, thus maximizing the value of the waste streams for reuse or recycling.

The company’s QuietLeigh™ and SafeLeigh® lines of products use a proprietary blend of reclaimed fiber engineered to meet fire resistance and sound-deadening specifications for vehicle insulation materials. Automotive manufacturers in the U.S. purchase the fiber and mold it into a variety of insulating parts such as acoustical panels for vehicle floors, doors and wheel wells, and as backing for headliners and floor carpets.

“We contribute to a smaller greenhouse gas footprint by saving material that otherwise would have to be made new,” Bockoven said. “And the end product makes vehicles lighter, so they’re more fuel-efficient, all while meeting strict safety standards.”

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News from 13th Annual NCTO Annual Meeting Held April 12-14, 2016 in Washington, D.C.

State of the Textile Industry PowerPoint

State of the Textile Industry Speech

 

April 14, 2016

CONTACT:  Lloyd Wood
(202) 822-8028
lwood@ncto.org

PRESS STATEMENT

NCTO Elects New Chairman for 2016


WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Robert H. Chapman III, Chairman, CEO and Treasurer of Inman Mills was elected to serve as Chairman of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) for 2016 at the group’s 13th Annual Meeting held April 12-14 at The Capital Hilton hotel located in Washington, D.C.  Inman Mills is a family-owned textile company headquartered in Inman, SC that manufactures yarns and fabrics – www.inmanmills.com.

Elected as NCTO Vice Chairman for 2016 was William V. McCrary Jr., President & CEO of William Barnet and Son LLC.  Barnet is a global fiber, yarn and resin manufacturer.  The company’s head office is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina – www.barnet.com.

2016 State of the Textile Industry Speech and PowerPoint

Before turning over his gavel to Chapman, outgoing 2015 NCTO Chairman Jeff Price delivered the 2016 State of the Textile Industry address.  Price is President, Specialty Fabrics Division, of Milliken & Company – www.milliken.com.

NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

  • U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 579,000 in 2015.
  • The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $76 billion last year, a nearly 14% increase since 2009.
  • U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel are up 38% over that same time period, reaching $27.75 billion in 2015.
  • Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2 billion in 2014, the last year for which data is available.

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NCTO Welcomes U.S.-China MOU to Terminate Chinese Export Subsidies

2016 04 14 NCTO press statement on US China MOU to terminate Chinese export subsidies

 

April 14, 2016

CONTACT:  Lloyd Wood
(202) 822-8028
lwood@ncto.org

 

PRESS STATEMENT

NCTO Welcomes U.S.-China MOU to Terminate Chinese Export Subsidies

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) applauded today’s announcement of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and China with respect to an agreement by China to terminate export subsidies under its “Demonstration Bases-Common Services Platform”.

“We thank the Obama administration for working diligently to construct an arrangement to eliminate these subsidies which directly damage U.S. manufacturing jobs, output and investment,” said NCTO CEO & President Augustine Tantillo.

“There is no doubt that China’s rise to become the world’s largest exporter of textile and apparel products has been aided by a pervasive series of illegal state-sponsored subsidies,” Tantillo continued.

“These subsidies are clearly inconsistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization, and they are unfair to domestic textile manufacturers and the hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers they employ,” Tantillo added.

“Our companies must play by free-market rules, and it is time that Chinese textile manufacturers do the same,” Tantillo concluded.

NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

  • S. employment in the textile supply chain was 579,000 in 2015.
  • The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $76 billion last year, a nearly 14% increase since 2009.
  • S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel are up 38% over that same time period, reaching $27.75 billion in 2015.
  • Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2 billion in 2014, the last year for which data is available.

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NCTO Welcomes RFT-MII Announcement

2016 04 01 RFT MII Announcement

 

April 1, 2016
For Immediate Release

CONTACT:  Lloyd Wood
(202) 822-8028
lwood@ncto.org

NCTO Welcomes RFT-MII Announcement

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced today that Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) was selected to lead the Revolutionary Fibers & Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII).

The RFT-MII is a collaborative effort between government and the private sector to accelerate the development of the next generation of highly functional textiles from both a commercial and military perspective.

Total funding is expected to be almost $320 million.  The Department of Defense (DoD) has committed $75 million, a figure matched by almost $250 million in money and other in-kind contributions from the U.S. textile industry and other sources.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) welcomed the announcement.  “We are pleased that the RFT-MII has gone from concept to reality,” said NCTO President Augustine Tantillo.  “This investment in advanced manufacturing will add to the substantial ongoing efforts associated with innovation in fiber and textile science in the United States.”

“This long range investment will help the United States maintain its current position as the most innovative and technically advanced textile industry in the world,” Tantillo added.

“We expect that it will ultimately spur jobs and investment in our sector while also making our military stronger,” Tantillo finished, as he noted that domestic industry supplies more than 8,000 different textile products to our warfighters.

President Obama announced the formation of the RFT-MII on March 18, 2015 as part of his National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) initiative.  The NNMI brings together industry, academia and federal partners to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, by promoting a robust and sustainable manufacturing research and development infrastructure.

There are 579,000 jobs in U.S. fiber, textile and apparel production.  Sector exports were $27.75 billion last year.  Capital investment within industry totaled $2 billion in 2014, an increase of 50 percent since 2009.

NCTO represents domestic textile manufacturers and related industry.  See www.ncto.org.

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U.S. Dept. of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Studying U.S. Textile Sector

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is undertaking a comprehensive study on the health, competiveness, and the contribution of the U.S. textile, apparel, and footwear industry to the U.S. economy.  Among the topics included are:

  • Current issues and challenges, and what can be done to support the industry.
  • Effectiveness of the Berry Amendment and other Buy-American provisions.

The U.S. Department of Commerce conducted a similar assessment in 2003, “U.S. Textile and Apparel Industries: An Industrial Base Assessment.”  A link to that study is below.

The U S Textile and Apparel Industries – An Industrial Base Assessment

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