The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has several key points that differentiate it from its predecessor—points the textile and apparel industries need to take note of before it comes up for a vote in Congress. It’s just one more moving piece in the ongoing geopolitical changes making international trade more challenging than ever. Suzanne Richer, director of the Trade Advisory Practice for E2Open, discusses the advantages of the trilateral trade agreement as well as the areas that textile and apparel need to be aware of.

It can be a touchy subject, but this is no time for hurt feelings. The apparel industry simply isn’t doing enough when it comes to climate change. In a provocative, no-holds-barred episode of the Sustaining Voices podcast, produced in partnership with Cotton Incorporated, Sourcing Journal publisher Caletha Crawford explores whether our incremental changes are having the impact that’s needed. Joining her are Morton Lehmann, chief sustainability officer for Global Fashion Agenda, and Jeff Wilson, senior business development manager of sustainability for NSF International.

Where to source and how to source smarter is top of mind for the entire apparel industry right now. With the speed of change and so many competing demands, it can be challenging to weigh the options.

More than 150 million trees are logged each year and turned into cellulosic fabric, many from ancient and endangered forests. As a result, irreparable damage is being inflicted upon the roots connecting our world’s facilities. Amanda Carr, director of strategic initiatives at Canopy, and Franco Costantini, managing director at Control Union, discuss the problem and possible solutions.

Transparency has been a hot topic in apparel recently but the industry is still struggling to gain visibility into much of the supply chain—and as a result, it is missing opportunities for improvement. A recent report from the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable outlines the benefits brands and retailers could realize if they truly made transparency a priority. Alison Kiehl Friedman, executive director of the ICAR, joins us to discuss what’s holding the industry back, the catalysts for change and the possible rewards.

Sourcing Journal founder and president Edward Hertzman talks with AAFA executive VP Stephen Lamar about these pressing uncertainties, as well as the potential implications of President Trump’s upcoming meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping and why China could be benefiting from the trade war in more ways than one.

The apparel industry is racing to find more sustainable options for both its inputs and processes. But the reality is, no matter how environmentally friendly these innovations may be, developing them requires investment so the question becomes, who’s financing fashion’s sustainable evolution?

Gary Barraco, Director, Product Marketing and Business Development for Amber Road, a software company dedicated to helping companies improve margins, achieve greater agility and lower risk, discusses the benefits of supply chain visibility when managing costs, elevating quality and navigating trade issues.

Since debuting Kingpins 2004 as a small gallery-like show, Olah Inc. founder Andrew Olah has played host to the global denim supply chain at Kingpins events in New York, Amsterdam and across China.

Denim Dudes founder Amy Leverton on the denim brands and trends to watch in 2019.

Apparel brands are looking for ways to shorten development and production timelines, and nearshoring, aided by automation, could be the answer, according to McKinsey & Company. Karl-Hendrik Magnus, partner at McKinsey and Company discusses the opportunities with Reebok VP of product operations; Erika Swan, Under Armour chief supply chain officer; Colin Browne and Ramesh Fernando, CEO of MAS USA.

Alberto Candiani, the global manager of Candiani Denim, the famed 80-year-old Italian denim mill, shares how he's pushing his family's business into a new era of sustainability, innovation and transparency.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the challenges of getting fit right, the consequences when brands and retailers don’t, and how the industry can help consumers find products that work for them.

John Kernan, managing director for retail and consumer brands for Cowen and Company, talks off-price, emerging direct-to-consumer brands and the continued success of athleisure.

Avani Patel of the Ember Company shares what it takes to launch a new brand in the current consumer climate, how to identify white space in the market and what new companies bring to the retail landscape that many established players can learn from.

This episode focuses on traceability in the cotton supply with David Greenstein of Himatsingka, one the largest cotton wholesalers in the United States, as well as cotton farmer and chairman of the California Cotton Growers Association, Cannon Michael.

In this week’s episode, we discuss made in the U.S.A. and innovation with Dov Charney, founder of Los Angeles Apparel, and Ram Sareen, CEO of Tukatech, a provider of fashion technology solutions.

This episode highlights what makes a disruptor a disruptor in a sea of new upstart brands from the perspective of Pano Anthos, founder and managing director of XRC Labs, an innovation accelerator for the next generation of disruptors in the retail and consumer goods sectors.

This episode focuses on the futility of setting sustainability goals without including traceability, how doing good can also be good for the bottom line and the technology that promises to get us there.

This Sourcing Journal podcast episode focuses on the dominant factors impacting cotton supply and demand, how the U.S. stacks up against other cotton growing nations and the advances taking place on the sustainability front.

How digitizing operations allows for better collaboration and relationship building between brands and retailers and their suppliers

The importance of transparency in the supply chain, how brands and retailers are going about it today and how it relates to other key industry initiatives like sustainability.

This episode of Sourcing Journal radio focuses on on-demand manufacturing, how it works, the current capabilities and limitations, and why it’s a necessity today.

This episode of Sourcing Journal Radio focuses on data and how apparel and footwear companies can use it from both the product development and allotment side as well as from a marketing and personalization standpoint.

This Sourcing Journal Radio episode focuses on speed to market and how the industry’s pre-occupation with emulating fast fashion could be doing more damage than good.