The appeal by American Circular Textiles follows a briefing at the White House by US USTR Ambassador Greer and Treasury Secretary Bessent, where the administration expressed its commitment to recalibrating trade relations between the US and China, with a specific emphasis on “critical sectors” such as steel and semiconductors.
While applauding US President Donald Trump, Greer, and Bessent for their dedication to safeguarding US industries and enhancing national resilience, ACT pointed out that the US is currently unable to produce crucial items like military uniforms, cut-and-sew products and recycled fibres on a large scale.
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This deficiency poses risks to the country in both commercial operations and national defence.
American Circular Textiles CEO and founder Rachel Kibbe said: “You can’t talk about rebuilding critical infrastructure without talking about textiles. From military uniforms to disaster response and circular economy innovation, this sector is foundational. The administration must prioritise domestic textile capacity in both trade and industrial policy.”
ACT also supports the ongoing efforts to close the de minimis loophole, which has allowed a surge of ultra-fast fashion and low-cost imports into the country. Closing this loophole is seen as an essential move towards restoring US competitiveness in the industry.
Nevertheless, ACT emphasises the importance of distinguishing secondhand goods from new imports as they contribute significantly to environmental sustainability and should not be subject to the same restrictions as new product imports.
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By GlobalDataACT intends to maintain dialogue with Congress and the US administration to ensure that both new and recycled US textile infrastructures receive attention and protection.
The US and China have negotiated a temporary easing of import tariffs for 90 days, which will reduce US tariffs on Chinese imports to 30% (down from 145%) and Chinese tariffs on US imports to 10%, starting from 14 May.
ACT unveiled a policy document recently entitled “A National Blueprint for Effective EPR,” which presents the organisation’s vision for establishing a scalable and infrastructure-focused extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework for textiles within the US. This blueprint suggests a new approach for formulating policies aimed at enhancing the sustainability of textile production and waste management in the country.
