Support for Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada Continues

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the trade association for the U.S. cleaning product supply chain, outlined its policy recommendations to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), urging transparent and fair trade practices among the North American marketplace under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

In a formal letter to USTR, ACI noted that the USMCA remains a vital tool for accelerating domestic production and is essential for U.S.-based manufacturers, including its association members, to maintain access to the key materials critical for domestic manufacturing, while also maintaining an open export market with their North American customers.

“ACI’s member manufacturers rely on a resilient North American trading system to manufacture and deliver products that promote public health, hygiene and safety across the United States and beyond,” Blake Nanney, ACI’s Director of Government Affairs, wrote in official comments to the agency. “The USMCA is a critical framework that enables this trade.”

ACI commended the Administration for codifying the USMCA in 2020 and recommended building on the Agreement’s success by supporting the continuation of the USMCA with necessary changes that ensure its trilateral structure. 

To accelerate domestic manufacturing, ACI recommends “that the Administration consider the benefits of prioritizing regulatory alignment among the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Discrepancies in agreed-upon standards lead to uncertainty for American businesses and potentially put U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage in the global market.”

ACI also called for the development and implementation of new and effective mechanisms to resolve disputes and counteract trade-restrictive measures that could impact the Agreement’s objectives. Fair trade practices help maintain trust in the agreement and protect U.S. commercial interests. 

Read the full letter here.