An Earth Day Story

The HS gets in the way of spreading environmental goods What’s the difference between a pipe used in treating wastewater and a pipe that transports oil? A hotplate and a solar cooker? A refrigerator that’s energy-efficient versus an energy hog? In the Harmonized...

U.S. Export Market Sourcebook

ITA annual on FTAs, top trading partner nations available for download The International Trade Administration’s Top U.S. Export Markets, published annually since 2007, consists of two-page fact sheets on 14 current or pending free trade agreements and on 50 countries...

Plastic Bag Tug of War

First-ever countervailing duty to be imposed on Vietnam The Department of Commerce has issued final determinations of anti-dumping duties to be imposed on plastic grocery bags made in Taiwan, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Polyethylene retail carrier bags — or PRCBs — have...

Plastic Bags Upstream & Down

PRCBs are once and future export drivers Stepping back from the trade tug of war over the U.S. market for polyethylene retail carrier bags, overseas suppliers make a positive contribution to growth in U.S. export sales of the low density polyethylene resins from which...

Global Bounce Back

WTO forecasts 9.5% growth in trade volumes The World Trade Organization (WTO) projects a rebound in world trade in 2010, recovering some, but by no means all, ground lost in 2009, when global trade volumes contracted 12.2% — the largest decline since World War II. If...

U.S. Imports Surge

Latest stats from The Datamyne show 15.9% jump in February The Datamyne’s latest statistics from its U.S. imports bill of lading database show imports recovering this February as compared with February 2009, but still short of prerecession levels. Here are the TEU...