“So the approximation that we had to agree to with the administration on was that we were going to help move the TPA bill,” she continued. “And that’s what we’re doing. But we have told the administration and Congress that if they attach any amendments to the Trade Promotion Authority bill, we’re out. That will hurt the industry. We will not play ball. We will oppose it and we will fight it every step of the way.”

 

Pierce acknowledged that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could damage the textile industry in U.S. and the Western Hemisphere, but the NCTO’s aim is to mitigate any potential setbacks for the industry.

 

“You don’t hear me saying we’re going to open mills and hire all these people because that’s probably not the case,” she said. “This is an agreement that still is going to potentially hurt this industry. And I don’t say that lightly.”

 

But the council chose to be a part of the process in order to ensure a “place at the table,” she added.

 

“We have to play ball with the system that is before us,” Pierce said. “We have had constructive, positive dialogue with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. It’s been historic, to be frank. Under the leadership of our president, Auggie Tantillo, we’ve done an extraordinary job of negotiating the best possible textile chapter in TPP that I think we could possibly get, with Vietnam at the table. It’s been incredible and the work that’s gone into it has been nothing sort of amazing.”

 

Vietnam, of course, is the bugaboo for the U.S. textile and apparel industry and its hemispheric partners. Pierce called the country a “mini-China” that exports about $8.8 billion dollars in textile and apparel to the U.S. annually.

 

And the NCTO is working not only on behalf of its U.S. interests, she added.

 

“There are about 2.5 million workers in our Western Hemisphere supply chain, so how we’re developing public policy is not just what’s the effect between the four corners of our borders in the U.S., but how will the entire supply chain be affected by the TPP?”

 

She also noted that about 40 percent of global GDP is wrapped up in the TPP.

 

“That’s mammoth, and that’s certainly a train that isn’t going to be easily stopped by any single industry that doesn’t support the TPP,” Pierce said. “So as we’re calculating what our position is and how we’re negotiating as an industry, that needs to be really respected and taken into account.”

 

Though getting closer to completion, the TPP may still be months away from finalization as talks are bogged down by non-textile issues, she added.

 

Other speakers

 

Attendees also heard from:

 

• Rana Gupta, CEO of Felsuma, LLC, who discussed his company’s Geckskin™ technology, which allows for three-dimensional fastening and adhesion;

• William Lockhart, senior vice president of SoftWear Automation, Inc., who covered his company’s automation solutions for sewn products manufacturing;

• Shelly Martin, LCACP, sustainability analyst and training manager for EarthShift, who talked about the merits of using lifecycle thinking to drive product development and sustainability;

• Darren Mond, senior research associate at Goulston Technologies, who provided insights into the advantages of gas-to-liquid oils for fiber production;

• James Ewell, director of sustainable products for GreenBlue, who went over the importance of transparency to design and product stewardship;

• Sarah Watt House, vice president and economist with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, who, in her economic outlook, said she expects moderate domestic growth, a healthier household sector and steady improvement in the labor market;

• Robert Green, global fibers and nonwovens director with Natureworks LLC, who provided updates on the company’s latest Ingeo naturally advanced materials innovations;

• Alasdair Carmichael, Americas president for PCI Fibres, who discussed the impact of oil prices on fibers, along with his global fibers report; and

• Dr. Kevin Nelson, founder and chief scientific officer of TissueGen, Inc., who gave a fascinating presentation on drug-loaded fibers for medical applications.