HCPA Hires Leading Bipartisan Advocacy Group to Continue Aggressive Anti-Tariff Work
August 16, 2018
Since the first announcement of potential steel and aluminum tariffs back in March, the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) has been proactively and aggressively advocating against tariffs on behalf of our entire membership, including our largest division, Aerosol.
HCPA represents a wide range of products, from household cleaners and air fresheners to commercial disinfectants and pest control, and many of these products use aerosol technology. Aerosol manufacturing is an American stalwart, with more than 90 percent being manufactured by and sold to American companies. However, nearly all these products use aluminum or steel and last year almost 50 percent of steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. came from Canada, Europe and Mexico.
Tariffs benefit few, while the costs are dispersed to many. The Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, and now the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, coupled with multiple rounds of retaliatory tariffs from Canada, Europe, Mexico, China, etc., function as taxes on the chemicals, plastics and other components that our members use to make $180 billion annually of household and commercial products. These taxes decrease access to quality materials while also raising the prices of the integral products millions of consumers and workers rely on every day.
HCPA has repeatedly called on and sent letters to President Trump, the Commerce Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to stop the progression of this dangerous trade war that will have a devastating effect on our economy, undo the good work of tax reform and severely weaken critical relationships with our largest trading partners and allies.
HCPA continues its aggressive work against tariffs, working closely with our international association allies in Canada and Mexico, supporting anti-tariff legislation and working with allied trades through the National Foreign Trade Council’s (NFTC) coalition and a coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF), which was featured in USA Today. The importance of being part of coalitions cannot be understated, as it allows the business community to stand together in opposition to a tariff system which is designed to pit industries against one another. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 2.6 million jobs could be threatened and that nearly 470,000 jobs are estimated to be lost from the steel and aluminum tariffs alone.
HCPA has also been responding in the media, including being quoted in Bloomberg, releasing numerous statements, and publishing an editorial in the premier magazine for aerosol manufacturers and suppliers, SPRAY. We continue to educate reporters about the impact of these tariffs on our industry and will be hosting a webinar on August 22 to help HCPA members apply for exclusion from tariffs.
To further support and enhance these activities, HCPA has retained the services of Prime Policy Group (PPG), a bipartisan public affairs firm that also represents multi-sector conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation of America, which holds significant financial interest in HCPA member companies including McLaughlin Gormley King Company (MGK) and Diversified CPC International. Sumitomo has a broad scope of activity in metals, chemicals, plastics and more, making it a global supplier of products that are essential for many HCPA member companies.
These tariffs attack the building blocks of our industry and will cause ripple effects across the entire supply chain. Working in concert with a highly-respected public affairs firm such as Prime Policy Group will amplify our mutual efforts on behalf of the chemical and aerosol packaging industries. Good alone, stronger together.
Sincerely,
Steve Caldeira
President and CEO
Household & Commercial Products Association
Since the first announcement of potential steel and aluminum tariffs back in March, the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) has been proactively and aggressively advocating against tariffs on behalf of our entire membership, including our largest division, Aerosol.
HCPA represents a wide range of products, from household cleaners and air fresheners to commercial disinfectants and pest control, and many of these products use aerosol technology. Aerosol manufacturing is an American stalwart, with more than 90 percent being manufactured by and sold to American companies. However, nearly all these products use aluminum or steel and last year almost 50 percent of steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. came from Canada, Europe and Mexico.
Tariffs benefit few, while the costs are dispersed to many. The Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, and now the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, coupled with multiple rounds of retaliatory tariffs from Canada, Europe, Mexico, China, etc., function as taxes on the chemicals, plastics and other components that our members use to make $180 billion annually of household and commercial products. These taxes decrease access to quality materials while also raising the prices of the integral products millions of consumers and workers rely on every day.
HCPA has repeatedly called on and sent letters to President Trump, the Commerce Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to stop the progression of this dangerous trade war that will have a devastating effect on our economy, undo the good work of tax reform and severely weaken critical relationships with our largest trading partners and allies.
HCPA continues its aggressive work against tariffs, working closely with our international association allies in Canada and Mexico, supporting anti-tariff legislation and working with allied trades through the National Foreign Trade Council’s (NFTC) coalition and a coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF), which was featured in USA Today. The importance of being part of coalitions cannot be understated, as it allows the business community to stand together in opposition to a tariff system which is designed to pit industries against one another. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 2.6 million jobs could be threatened and that nearly 470,000 jobs are estimated to be lost from the steel and aluminum tariffs alone.
HCPA has also been responding in the media, including being quoted in Bloomberg, releasing numerous statements, and publishing an editorial in the premier magazine for aerosol manufacturers and suppliers, SPRAY. We continue to educate reporters about the impact of these tariffs on our industry and will be hosting a webinar on August 22 to help HCPA members apply for exclusion from tariffs.
To further support and enhance these activities, HCPA has retained the services of Prime Policy Group (PPG), a bipartisan public affairs firm that also represents multi-sector conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation of America, which holds significant financial interest in HCPA member companies including McLaughlin Gormley King Company (MGK) and Diversified CPC International. Sumitomo has a broad scope of activity in metals, chemicals, plastics and more, making it a global supplier of products that are essential for many HCPA member companies.
These tariffs attack the building blocks of our industry and will cause ripple effects across the entire supply chain. Working in concert with a highly-respected public affairs firm such as Prime Policy Group will amplify our mutual efforts on behalf of the chemical and aerosol packaging industries. Good alone, stronger together.
Sincerely,
Steve Caldeira
President and CEO
Household & Commercial Products Association