The passage of the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in February 2021 represented a decisive escalation in legislative efforts to eliminate forced labor from U.S.-bound supply chains. With an effective date of June 17, 2022, the Act established a rebuttable presumption that any goods produced wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur […]
The enforcement of the EU Directive on single-use plastics from July 3, 2021 marked a turning point in the regulation of packaging materials and their environmental footprint across the bloc. For retailers, the Directive introduced both compliance challenges and opportunities to enhance packaging supply-chain transparency through systematic tracking and disclosure. Retailers were called upon to […]
The passage of the 2020 U.S. Farm Bill in December 2020 introduced significant measures to enhance supply chain traceability for critical agricultural commodities, particularly dairy and soybean products. Among the reforms was a strengthened mandate for transparency in crop insurance data, which aimed to provide greater visibility into indemnity payments, yield trends, and farm-level production […]
2021 Go Global Awards Judging Panel Announced For Immediate Distribution Washington, DC (USA). The International Trade Council (www.tradecouncil.org) is pleased to announce the 2021 panel of judges for the upcoming Go Global Awards. The annual awards program, officially taking place from late July onwards, will see fourteen new judges this year, reviewing applications from […]
The release of India’s Draft National Logistics Policy in December 2020 signaled a significant shift in the country’s approach to modernizing its supply chains, with a strong emphasis on digital integration and transparency. A core feature of the policy was the advancement of open freight data initiatives, aimed at streamlining containerized cargo movements and enhancing […]
The International Trade Council (ITC) welcomes the recent post-Brexit trade agreement between the UK, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, which will greatly benefit trade between the four non-EU nations, already valued at £21.6bn. The UK’s international trade secretary, Liz Truss, said the deal would be “a major boost for our trade…while supporting jobs and prosperity in […]
Washington, DC – US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order banning Americans from investing in 59 Chinese tech and defence firms, including communications giant Huawei. This expands the previous list of 31 firms to include surveillance companies, ensuring that US persons are not financing the military industrial complex of the People’s Republic of […]
The International Trade Council (ITC) welcomes the recent virtual meeting between the top trade negotiators of the United States and China. Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He had “candid, pragmatic, and constructive exchanges with an attitude of equality and mutual respect” according to a statement released by the Chinese […]
The European Union’s Renovation Wave Strategy, announced in October 2020, set out a highly ambitious vision for transforming the region’s building stock. At its core lies the intention not just to improve the energy performance of homes, offices, and public buildings, but to do so in a manner that aligns with the broader objectives of […]
The International Trade Council (ITC) expresses concern over the recent ban imposed by China on Taiwanese pineapple imports, which has led to a significant economic dispute between the two countries. Taiwan, one of the largest producers of pineapples in the world, has been exporting almost all of its pineapples to China. The move by China […]
The International Trade Council has expressed concern over China’s decision to “indefinitely” suspend key economic dialogue with Australia, calling it the latest in a growing diplomatic rift between both countries. This move has escalated tensions between Australia and China, which have been on the decline since Australia called for a probe into the origins of […]
The U.K. Future Generations Bill, introduced in draft form in November 2020, aims to weave long-term sustainability into the fabric of public policy. Although the bill was still making its way through Parliament during 2021, its draft guidance was already shaping how public procurement frameworks were evolving and how businesses, especially SMEs, were positioning themselves […]
The International Trade Council has hailed the European Parliament’s decision to ratify the post-Brexit EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) as a key move to ensure tariff- and quota-free trade continues between the two sides. MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the deal by 660 votes to 5, while 32 abstained. The TCA has been […]
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act marked another step in the ongoing attempt to untangle U.S. defense supply chains from strategic dependencies that could compromise national security. Nowhere is this more visible than in the field of rare earth elements (REEs). These critical minerals underpin everything from missile guidance systems to communications gear. And yet, […]
The International Trade Council is pleased to report the clearance of all remaining vessels stranded as a result of the Ever Given grounding incident in the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal Authority has confirmed that the last of the 61 ships caught in the aftermath of the grounding were able to pass the canal on […]
The adoption of the EU Taxonomy Regulation’s delegated acts in April 2021 represented a turning point in how financial institutions are expected to engage with sustainability within their portfolios. While the taxonomy itself had been in force since mid-2020, these delegated acts added the critical operational detail necessary for firms to begin aligning their lending […]