AAFA key votes GSP as "Yes" vote: Ahead of today's vote to renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, AAFA sent a "Key Vote" letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging a "Yes" vote on final legislation.

Flagging fakes: On February 8, AAFA submitted comments in response to a request by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) – as part of its Special 301 review – detailing industry concerns with foreign country intellectual property rights practices. Access the comments.

AAFA's official Corporate Social Responsibility Partner: Last week, AAFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) during AAFA’s Social Responsibility Committee meeting in Long Beach, CA. The collaborative venture will leverage the organizations’ expertise in CSR for the apparel and footwear industry with a focus on labor and working hours. AAFA and WRAP will work together to provide industry tools, resources, and thought leadership to be delivered at AAFA committee meetings, educational events, and webinars. Stay tuned for the release of guidance this year on North Korean sanctions as well as industry best practices for working hours, both for AAFA members. View the press release to learn more.

Avedis Seferian, President and CEO of WRAP with
Nate Herman, AAFA's Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at the MOU signing on February 7. 

EC leadership welcome: Please help us welcome Emily Gigot – Social Responsibility Specialist at SanMar – as the new Chair of AAFA’s Environmental Committee (EC). We’d like to extend our appreciation to Greg Montello of New Balance Athletics, Inc. for his leadership in guiding the committee as Chair and Vice Chair since 2011. View our Committee descriptions to learn more about how you can take part in the EC or any of AAFA’s 11 active committees, subcommittees, councils, and working groups.

This Week in Las Vegas: Yesterday at FN PLATFORM and SOURCING at MAGIC, AAFA led in-depth sessions to educate the industry, including "Global Value Chains and How They Can Shape U.S. Trade Policy" with panelists from USFIA, SanMar, and Levi Strauss & Co. and "Creating an Intellectual Property Rights Culture" with experts in IPR law.