THE INDUSTRY CONSULTATIONS PROGRAM

INDUSTRY SECTOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE
ON TEXTILES AND APPAREL
FOR TRADE POLICY MATTERS


Background Information
The textile sector committee members include yarn spinners, fabric mills, fiber producers, dying and printing, carpet mills, and household and industrial textile product manufacturers. The apparel sector members are comprised of outerwear, underwear, knitwear, neckwear, and hosiery manufacturers. Companies represented manufacture domestically and most export their goods, while some include import operations. The combined value of shipments by all industry segments in the textiles and apparel sector was roughly $138 billion in 2001, with $16 billion exported.

Industry representatives serving on the Textiles and Apparel Advisory Committee (ISAC 15) provided advice to the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on a wide range of issues during the charter period. The Committee was particularly active in issues including Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), implementation of the Trade Act of 2002, and market access issues. The Committee provided valuable input on negotiating position for the WTO Ministerial, U.S.-Chile and U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement talks, and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations. The Committee members advised the interagency Committee for the Implementation of Textiles Agreements (CITA) on trade negotiations, transshipment issues, rules of origin, and short supply. 

Industry representatives serving on the Industry Sector Advisory Committee on Textiles and Apparel have a voice in U.S. trade policy formulation through the Industry Consultations Program (ICP), which emerged from the 1974 Trade Act, to ensure that trade negotiators were coordinating with the private sector during trade negotiations. Based on the program's success, the ICP was renewed and expanded by the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 and the Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. The Department of Commerce, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and other agencies work side-by-side with business leaders who serve as advisors to the U.S. Government. The Department of Commerce and USTR have joint responsibility for operating the advisory committees of the ICP.

Eligibility for Membership on the Textiles and Apparel ISAC
Committee members are U.S. citizens representing U.S. manufacturing or service firms in the textiles and apparel industry, trade internationally, and have a special interest in and knowledge of international trade issues. Representatives of industry associations may also participate. Additional information can be found on the Industry Consultations Program's website at: www.ita.doc.gov/icp or by contacting:

The Industry Consultations Program
U.S. Department of Commerce
14th & Constitution Avenue NW, Room 2015-B
Washington, DC 20230
phone: (202) 482-3268, fax: (202) 482-4452
e-mail: Trade_Advisory_Center@ita.doc.gov