PaperAge Magazine

AF&PA Applauds U.S. Senate for Ratifying U.S. / Mexico / Canada Trade Agreement

US Mexico Canada flags Total pulp and paper U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada support 88,000 direct American jobs and in 2018 amounted to $10.1 billion or 44 percent of the industry's total exports.

Jan. 16, 2020 - American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Heidi Brock praised the Senate for ratifying the U.S. - Mexico - Canada (USMCA) trade agreement and issued the following statement:

"Free and fair cross-border trade took an important step forward today with United States Senate approval of the USMCA — action we applaud. Long overdue revisions to the twenty-five-year-old trade agreement — including commitments to promoting sustainable forest management and legal trade in forest products — will further competition, economic growth and job creation.

"Today's action on USMCA preserves free and fair trade in North America and ensures existing supply chains that extend across the region are strengthened. We call for the swift implementation of the USMCA."

Additional Background

Total pulp and paper U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada support 88,000 direct American jobs and in 2018 amounted to $10.1 billion or 44 percent of the industry's total exports.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry's sustainability initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2020.

The forest products industry accounts for approximately four percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures approximately $300 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 950,000 men and women. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $55 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper.

SOURCE: AF&PA