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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Apparel Coalition supports the negotiation of a 21st Century TPP agreement that generates new trade and investment opportunities for the benefit of workers, businesses, and families. These opportunities include buying and selling goods and services, sustaining and growing well-paying jobs, and providing high added value for the U.S. and TPP economies. To maximize benefits to companies, consumers, and workers, TPP negotiators should embrace a policy on textiles and apparel that facilitates today’s global value chains and the millions of American jobs that depend on them. Read our full position.
Today's global value chain utilized by the U.S. apparel industry describes the full range of activities that firms and workers do to bring a product from its conception to the final customer.
This includes activities such as manufacturing, design, production, marketing, distribution, retail and support to the final customer.
When considering ways to create new opportunities in the TPP for apparel, it is important to keep in mind the value and jobs created throughout the entire value chain, not just factory production.
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is an Asia-Pacific regional trade agreement currently being negotiated among the United States and eight other partners -- Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
- The TPP partners include some of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. exports and U.S. branded apparel products and U.S. yarns, textiles, and other components - which grows U.S. jobs.
- In 2010, U.S. consumers spent nearly $340 billion on new clothes and shoes.
- Americans purchased an estimated 20.5 billion garments and 2.3 billion pairs of shoes in 2010.
- That means that every many, woman, and child in the United States, on average, spent nearly $1,200 each to buy an average of 68 new garments and eight pairs of shoes in 2010.
- While the United States accounts for one-quarter of the world's overall apparel and footwear retail sales, the U.S. represents just five percent of the world's population.
- The TPP represents a significant market-opening opportunity to create and sustain American jobs and drive American competitiveness in the global market.
