**Global:** The International Apparel Federation (IAF) has expressed serious concerns over recent US punitive tariffs on garment exports, highlighting risks to global supply chains, investment, and employment in the apparel sector. The IAF calls for sustainable trade policies and stronger international cooperation to ensure industry resilience.
The International Apparel Federation (IAF), which represents the apparel manufacturing sector across over 40 countries and encompasses hundreds of thousands of companies along with millions of employees, has expressed serious concerns regarding recent punitive tariffs implemented by the United States. These tariffs, introduced on 2 April, impose the highest rates on countries significantly dependent on garment exports to the U.S., posing what IAF describes as a direct and unprovoked threat to entire industries within the global apparel sector.
The globalised nature of the apparel and textile industries, historically fundamental to industrial development worldwide, means these measures have the potential to destabilise economies and place the livelihoods of numerous workers and entrepreneurs at risk. The IAF highlights that these punitive tariffs particularly impact China, one of the largest apparel exporters globally, and have broader implications for international supply chains.
While the IAF has welcomed the U.S. decision to pause a significant portion of these punitive tariffs, deep concerns remain over the continued application of tariffs on Chinese imports. The federation warns that this ongoing tariff uncertainty undermines investment, disrupts market stability, and threatens employment. IAF stresses that such unpredictability hampers the recovery of global supply chains, still fragile in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Sea shipping crisis, and decreased consumer confidence.
The federation has urged that future trade negotiations set reasonable and constructive goals, cautioning against the resurgence of steep tariffs on apparel. It emphasises the impracticality of expecting apparel-exporting countries—many lacking the domestic purchasing power to boost U.S. imports substantially—to correct trade imbalances through such measures. Furthermore, the IAF asserts that punitive tariffs are unlikely to prompt a substantial reshoring of apparel production to the U.S.
In its call for action, the IAF underscores the need for the apparel industry to build resilience by reducing vulnerability to sudden trade policy shifts. This strategy includes expanding competitive advantages beyond cost considerations and fostering stronger, smarter, and more sustainable supply chains based on long-term partnerships, sound business rationale, and mutual interdependence rather than reliance on fluctuating trade politics.
The federation elaborates that it will intensify global initiatives aimed at empowering manufacturers and their associations to be strategic contributors during this industry transition, promoting investments in workforce development, processes, and technology. Recognising that supply chain resilience requires collaborative effort, the IAF urges brands and retailers to honour sourcing agreements, uphold standards, and avoid cost shifts that could threaten supply chain viability.
Concluding its statement, the IAF reaffirms the fundamentally global character of the apparel industry and the central role international trade plays within it. It expresses solidarity within the global manufacturing community, advocating unity and collective strength to overcome current challenges and build a more resilient, sustainable future that benefits all stakeholders across the value chain, even amid ongoing policy uncertainties.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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