Posts

Posted by Bob Kirke March 14th, 2024

On the face of it solar panels have very little to do with cotton tee shirts.  One couldn't imagine, in fact, any two products that have less in common.  That being said, they have one thing in common and that is that they often contain raw materials that may be traced to a region in China where there are allegations of systematic forced labour. Over the last two years, the United States has implemented the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act …

Posted by Bob Kirke February 16th, 2024

Importers will be aware of a major transition in custom administration, soon to be implemented by CBSA. CARM is a long-standing initiative to update the processing and payment of duties and taxes on imported goods. The project has been plagued by innumerable delays, uneven communication with industry and concerns about the viability of the program.  The Canadian government has indicated that it is moving forward with this program, effective May 13, 2024.     On March 13, 2024 the government …

Posted by Crystel Hillton February 3rd, 2024

Five new Consumer Product Safety Enforcement Summary Reports are now available on Health Canada’s Consumer Product Safety website. Five new Consumer Product Safety Enforcement Summary Reports are now available on Health Canada’s Consumer Product Safety website. The report covering textile flammability demonstrates 100% with the regulation based on the verification actions conducted by Health Canada.   Compliance Verification Project 2022-2023: Textile Flammability Regulations (Adult Clothing) - The purpose of this Compliance Verification (CV) project was to verify industry’s compliance of adult …

January 26th, 2024

The Canadian Apparel Federation and Circana teamed up to present an update on the Canadian apparel market.  In a 30-minute webinar, Alecsandra Hancas of Circana shared insights from the firm’s research: Planned cuts in spending across eight segments are deepest in restaurants (68%) and apparel (52%) Beauty was an outlier in a soft market, with 19% growth over 12 months to September 2023. Apparel sales were up 4% while footwear declined by 1% over last year. 34% of apparel was purchased online, compared …

January 16th, 2024

What does 2024 have in store for retailers, brands, and their manufacturing partners, and how can your supply chain perform its best? ECOMMERCE GROWTH TREND  Online sales growth. Ten percent or greater online sales growth is forecasted for 2024, according to Insider Intelligence/eMarketer. SUPPLY CHAIN CONSIDERATIONS Advanced Omnichannel Merchandise Planning. The best merchandise plans anticipate customer demand at the regional, local and targeted demographic levels. In 2024, it will be a competitive advantage to drill deep into sales data and …

Posted by Apparel January 13th, 2024

After more than a decade of efforts by the CAF, Canada has extended the Least Developed Country Tariff (LDCT) for 10 years, beginning Jan. 1, 2025. The regulations implementing the renewed program were released in October. Changes to the rule of origin and modernized customs procedures will take effect in January 2025. The recording from a webinar outlining the changes is available for viewing to CAF and VQ members only.     For further details, contact CAF Executive Director Bob Kirke: bkirke@apparel.ca

Posted by Apparel January 9th, 2024

This follows investigations into Zara Canada, Levi Strauss & Co. Canada, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren and more Canadian subsidiaries of multinational apparel companies.   In an Initial Assessment Report, Guess? Canada lists jurisdiction and other objections to the complaint.   Zara Canada also contends that CORE lacks jurisdiction to review the complaint. The alleged abuses, Zara writes in its report, do not “arise from” ITX Canada’s operations abroad…”   CORE has launched the investigations since July of this year, following …

January 4th, 2024

CORE, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, has launched an investigation into Zara Canada Inc. in response to a complaint filed by a coalition of 28 civil society organizations. This is its eighth investigation into allegations of Uyghur forced labour in the supply chains and operations of Canadian companies.   Among other objections, Zara contends that CORE lacks jurisdiction to review the complaint. The alleged abuses, Zara writes, do not “arise from” ITX Canada’s operations abroad…”   The initial Assessment …

Posted by Apparel December 19th, 2023

The Canadian Apparel Federation and the U.S. Fashion Industry Association hosted a webinar to  explore social responsibility issues in 2023 and look ahead to 2024. Presenter Avedis Seferian of the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) shared his extensive knowledge to look at issues expected to impact responsible sourcing practices in the year ahead, including developments in due diligence legislation.   WRAP is a global social compliance certification program. It works with facilities at the ground level to bolster their compliance …

December 12th, 2023

  The Canadian Apparel Federation, together with the mmode fashion cluster and Global Affairs Canada, teamed up with the OECD to present a webinar on guidance for due diligence in the apparel and footwear sector supply chains. The OECD guidance page is here:    Link to recording here.