DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Global fashion retailers including H&M (HMb.ST) and Gap (GPS.N) are committed to raising purchase prices for Bangladesh-made clothing to help factories there offset higher workers' wages, a U.S.-based association representing more than 1,000 brands said. Asked if they would raise purchase prices by the 5-6% that costs will rise, Stephen Lamar, chief executive of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), told Reuters: "Absolutely". "We also renew our pleas for the adoption of an annual minimum wage review mechanism so that Bangladeshi workers are not disadvantaged by changing macroeconomic conditions." Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, which employs about 4 million people. Retailers in the United States and Europe are the main buyers of Bangladesh-made clothes.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Stephen Lamar, Lamar, Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: The Civil Engineering, REUTERS, Labour, American Apparel & Footwear Association, Reuters, International Labour Organization, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bangladesh, Retailers, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, DELHI, U.S, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, United States, Europe

The International Labour Organization (ILO), of which Cambodia is a member, permits prison labour provided it is not forced. The companies, which Sopheak confirmed were W Dexing Garment (Cambodia), IGTM (Cambodia) and Chia Ho (Cambodia) Garment Industrial, did not respond to requests for comment. It said it learned in February that Cambodia was investigating and that the prison workshops had been suspended. Centric told Reuters in an email in June that it had "placed on hold" imports from a factory in Cambodia and would "immediately terminate" any supplier found to be using prison labour. CAMBODIA INVESTIGATESPrison labour at CC2 potentially puts Cambodia at odds with the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, which grants duty-free benefits to eligible developing nations.

Persons: Keo Chhea, Sopheak, Chia Ho, AAFA's, Ken Loo, Aun, Loo, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, amfori, Klot Dara, Stephen Lamar, Nate Herman, Clare Baldwin, Katherine Masters, Siddharth Cavale, John Shiffman, Kristina Cooke, David Crawshaw, Kay Johnson Organizations: Correctional, Google, REUTERS Acquire, Walmart, Centric Brands, Reuters, American Apparel and Footwear Association, International Labour Organization, ILO, Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, State, European Union, Japan, Garment, Human Rights, Textile, Apparel, Footwear, Travel Goods Association, IZOD, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, U.S, Travelway, Centric, Better Factories, BFC, amfori's Business, Authentic Brands, U.S . Trade, CC2, Cambodia's Ministry of Interior, General Department of Prisons, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, PHNOM PENH, U.S, Washington, AAFA, IGTM, Canada, Better Factories Cambodia, CC2, CAMBODIA, Cambodia's U.S, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Focus: Key trade loophole keeps cheap Chinese products flowing to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that de minimis shipments into the U.S. rose to 685.5 million in 2022, up nearly 67% over 2018. That equals roughly two to three million packages a day, Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers in July. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers in June introduced bills that would ban de minimis shipments from China upon enactment. Rival U.S. retailers also have grown increasingly concerned about the exemption as Shein and Temu have gained market share. In 2015, Congress raised the cap on de minimis shipments to $800 from $200, making the U.S. threshold one of the highest in the world.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Shein, Peter Pernot, Robert Silvers, minimis, Jason Smith, Temu, Steve Story, They're, Erik Autor, Katherine Masters, Anna Driver Organizations: REUTERS, PDD Holdings, U.S, Reuters, American Apparel and Footwear Association, de, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Republican, Columbia, Apex Logistics International, UPS, FedEx, Barlow & Company, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Mexico, Canada

☆ Dock workers at key Canadian ports reject labor deal, creating further trade uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOverseas trade entering North America through key ports on Canada's West Coast faces more uncertainty after dock workers rejected a tentative labor deal late Friday. Canadian Minister of Labor Seamus O'Reagan, in a Twitter post Saturday, said ports in British Columbia need stability after the 14 days of strikes. "The vessel was delayed by several weeks and now the rail-bound containers sit at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert." For the third week in a row, rail traffic from Canada into the U.S. is down following the on-again, off-again western Canadian ports strike. The first two weeks of the labor strike prevented over 80% of rail trade from entering the United States.

Persons: Rob Ashton, BCMEA, ILWU, Labor Seamus O'Reagan, O'Reagan, Paul Brashier, Vancouver and Prince Rupert, Steve Lamar, AAFA Organizations: Global, Bloomberg, Getty Images Overseas, Warehouse Union of Canada, British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, Labor, . Trade, U.S ., ITS Logistics, American Apparel and Footwear Association Locations: Vancouver Harbour, Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, North America, Coast, British, ILWU Canada, British Columbia, U.S . West Coast, Vancouver, U.S, United States

☆ Retailers are preparing for a discount heavy, down holiday season: CNBC survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Many retailers are still drawing down inventories now as peak season for orders begins. Based on the concerns about cutbacks by consumers, 77% of all items being ordered this holiday season are middle-price point items, including jackets. Traditionally, retail sector orders for peak season items are placed in late winter, or early spring. Trucking, ground, rail profit hits For ground logistical firms, rail companies, and short-haul trucking, moving holiday products during peak season is a lucrative and critical time of year for making money. The largest subgroup of survey respondents who predict placing higher freight orders (42%) pegged the increase in a range of 6%-10%.

Persons: Patrick T, Cleary, Stephen Lamar, Jon Gold Organizations: Fallon, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC Supply Chain Survey, Target, Walmart, CNBC, American Apparel & Footwear Association, American Footwear and Apparel Association, National Retail Federation, Council of Supply Chain Management, United National Consumer Suppliers, CNBC Fed Survey, Wall Street, Survey, Retailers, Chain, Labor Locations: West Coast, West

☆ Myth or fact? Eating local honey can cure seasonal allergies: 'It's a complicated answer,' doctor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Many people believe that eating local honey can lessen or even cure your seasonal allergies. This is commonly referred to as "local honey," which Cote collects across the five boroughs in New York City. And yet, the myth of local honey persists. Can eating local honey cure seasonal allergies? The pool of studies that examine the effects of local honey on allergy symptoms is extremely small, he adds, which makes it difficult to come to a clear conclusion.

☆ Most supply chain managers expect problems to continue at least through 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The dour outlook comes after almost three years of global supply chain problems, which began with the shutdown of Wuhan, China, where the Covid outbreak began. Jon Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy of the NRF, said the administration has taken steps to address the supply chain challenges. Earlier this year, for example, the administration rolled out a pilot supply chain data sharing program called Freight Logistics Optimization Works, or FLOW. "The administration needs to remain focused and continue to convene the right supply chain stakeholders to discuss ways to improve supply chain operations and expand data sharing to create a truly 21st century supply chain," Gold said. Nate Herman, AAFA's senior vice president, of policy told CNBC the problems that created the supply chain crisis are far from over.

Search resuls for: "AAFA"

7 mentions found