Apr 21 -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will host a public Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum and invites interested parties to participate. CBP is announcing this public meeting to solicit and share ideas related to green trade innovation and incentivization of clean and sustainable supply chains and trade decarbonization. To that end, CBP is collecting public comments in response to this notice to be shared and discussed during the forum, focusing on the following themes: green data as a strategic asset; green trade incentives; and green trade-related research and innovation. CBP is also soliciting proposals from industry volunteers to participate in a Trade Sustainability Leadership Showcase that will be held during the event. This notice provides information on CBP's goals for this public meeting, its commitment to environmental stewardship, and its Green Trade Strategy.
The Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum will be held on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT. The Forum will be conducted in-person and via videoconference. The in-person meeting will be held at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
Members of the public wishing to submit comments in response to the Green Trade Themes must do so by 5 p.m. EDT, Monday, May 22, 2023. CBP expects to notify those individuals selected to offer comments during the meeting of their selection by Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting, whether in-person or via videoconference, must pre-register by 5 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
Members of the public who wish to participate in the Trade Sustainability Leadership Showcase must submit a proposal by 5 p.m. EDT, Monday, May 22, 2023. CBP expects to notify those individuals selected to participate in the Showcase of their selection by Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Showcase participants are expected to attend in-person.
In executing its trade mission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is charged with facilitating legitimate cross-border trade while enforcing U.S. trade laws and keeping the American public safe. This mission has long encompassed the protection of natural resources and prevention of environmental degradation. Climate change and other environmental challenges are critical considerations for CBP, as it carries out its mission of protecting the American people, safeguarding U.S. borders, and enhancing the nation's economic prosperity. While climate change and other environmental considerations pose significant challenges for CBP's trade mission and the trade participants CBP serves, they also provide new opportunities for innovation and improvement in trade processes, technology and standards, as well as opportunities for enhanced partnerships, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The United States is pursuing a whole-of-government approach to addressing climate change as articulated in Executive Order 14008 (Jan. 27, 2021).
In recognition of these challenges and opportunities, and its commitment to building a more sustainable future for trade, CBP announced the launch of the CBP Green Trade Strategy at the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels in June 2022. The Green Trade Strategy establishes CBP's vision to build resilience and address environmental and climate-related threats, while capitalizing on opportunities to grow the economy and accelerate innovation in a sustainable way. The Green Trade Strategy aligns with broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts (such as the DHS Climate Action Plan, which can be found at www.dhs.gov/dhs-actions-climate-change) and supports a whole-of-government approach to mitigating risk and seizing opportunities associated with climate change and environmental stewardship. The Green Trade Strategy aims to incentivize green trade, accelerate green innovation, strengthen CBP's environmental enforcement posture, and improve the agency's climate resilience and resource efficiency.
Details of the Strategy can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/cbp-green-trade-strategy
Through the Green Trade Strategy, CBP will establish itself as a champion for the green economy and facilitate the global transition to a cleaner, more climate-resilient trading environment. CBP intends to exemplify higher, greener standards for global trade while creating an opportunity for government, industry, and the public to unify efforts in the creation of a more sustainable future.
As we progress further into the 21st century, there is widespread recognition of the challenges that climate change is creating and will continue to create for the international trade community. Recent studies have indicated that global supply chains contribute a significant amount to the world's total carbon emissions. Resource extraction and cultivation methods, production and storage requirements, the movement of persons and materials, and the transportation of goods represent various points in the supply chain that may generate emissions. Each stage in the supply chain also represents an opportunity for greener, more sustainable practices.
CBP is well positioned to make a positive difference on the path to a cleaner, environmentally-resilient future due to the agency's ability to influence global supply chain practices as well as its ability to enforce against natural resource crimes, but it cannot meet this challenge alone. Greening global supply chains and combatting the negative impacts of climate change and environmental degradation will necessitate innovative partnerships between public and private organizations with a stake in building a more sustainable future for trade.
Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum: Agenda
9 a.m.–12 p.m.—Opening Remarks, Keynote Presentations and Trade Sustainability Leadership Showcase
1 p.m.–5 p.m.—Public Statements and Open Public Comment on Green Trade Themes
To highlight the various ways that industry organizations within the international trade community are currently leading in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve natural resources, and increase overall environmental sustainability within their operations, CBP will be hosting a Trade Sustainability Leadership Showcase during the Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum. The Showcase will present an opportunity and platform for selected members of the international trade community to share their successes, best practices, challenges and lessons learned in greening their own operational processes and footprints, as well as discuss the ways they are working with supply chain and other business partners to reduce emissions, protect natural resources, and generate innovative solutions. While the Showcase cannot represent all experiences and perspectives, it is CBP's hope that the sustainability journeys of those organizations featured will inspire further creative thinking, knowledge sharing, and problem solving across the international trade community. . . .
Furthermore, CBP invites members of the public to participate through oral and written comments on the themes below. . . . Due to time and content considerations, it is possible that not all persons who express an interest in making a public statement will be able to do so. Speakers will be selected based on time considerations and to ensure that diverse, individual perspectives are highlighted. CBP will select and contact individuals to deliver public statements starting no later than Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Members of the public may submit as many comments as they wish; however, any commenter who is selected to provide an oral public statement during the event will be limited to one statement on one theme, during one timeslot.
CBP has identified three key topics for international trade industry and public input: (1) Green Data as a Strategic Asset; (2) Green Trade Incentives; and (3) Green Trade Research and Innovation. Brief descriptions of each theme are provided in this document along with the request for public comments on questions posed by CBP related to each theme.
(1) Green Data as a Strategic Asset
CBP and industry efforts to reach climate resilience and sustainability goals are anchored on improving decision-making through risk management and greater supply chain visibility. These efforts include not only exploring how to better utilize big data and predictive analytics to drive decision-making, but also the identification of operations-related data and other enterprise, supply chain, and logistics data that can be applied to optimize business efficiency and—by extension—sustainability.
-- What data have you found useful in greening your trade operations? To what data do you wish you had better access?
-- What additional data could CBP potentially provide (in accordance with existing laws) that would most benefit your sustainable decision-making?
-- What data or datasets would you like members of the international trade community to be aware of as they continue on their environmental sustainability journeys?
(2) Green Trade Incentives
CBP seeks to develop facilitation benefits and other incentives to promote environmentally-friendly trade practices and supply chains.
-- What are some tangible benefits CBP could provide to trade entities to incentivize their transition to more sustainable trade practices?
-- What are the key underlying principles that CBP should follow as we seek to harmonize global green standards?
-- What are the major hurdles your organization faces now in pursuing greener practices?
(3) Green Trade Research and Innovation
CBP aims to promote the development and deployment of innovative, sustainable green trade practices and technology by public and private stakeholders to encourage environmentally conscious operations that are informed by cutting-edge research and are able to accommodate on-going changes in global trade.
-- What current opportunities do you see for research and innovation in green trade? How is your organization currently advancing research into green trade topics and/or pursuing innovative technology solutions with the potential to increase the sustainability of global trade flows?
-- What specific environmental stewardship and sustainability gaps or issues do you see in the international trade community that could be addressed through investment in emerging technologies, and what are those technologies?
-- What challenges do you face in bringing green trade innovation and technology solutions to market or incorporating them on an industry-wide scale?
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-08394