WASHINGTON— U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the agenda and speakers for the inaugural Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum being held July 11 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia. The Green Trade Forum will convene key government officials and industry leaders to advance climate mitigation, supply chain resilience, and environmentally beneficial innovation in the international trade arena, enhance dialogue about best practices and inform the implementation of CBP’s Green Trade Strategy.
Speakers will highlight the critical nexus between climate change, environmental stewardship, economic growth and innovation, and trade policy and processes. The Forum will also feature a Trade Sustainability Leadership Showcase with presentations from a range of trade industry experts, including executive leadership from DHL Express Americas, Expeditors International and REI Co-Op. The showcase panelists will discuss the ways their organizations are working with business and supply chain partners to reduce emissions, protect natural resources and generate innovative and sustainable solutions.
Keynote speakers will include:
- Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing Duties of Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
- AnnMarie Highsmith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
- Jayme White, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative,
- Vaishali Udupa, Commissioner for Patents, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and
- Kimberlee Stamatis, Assistant Secretary for Customs & Trade Policy, Australian Border Force.
To round out the agenda, a federal executive panel with representation from the Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and other federal agency partners will hear public comments from a robust roster of trade associations, individual importers, technology providers, academic experts and non-governmental organizations in response to CBP’s call for comments on the themes of sustainable innovation, green trade incentivization, and green data as a strategic asset.
The Forum aims to identify areas of priority action for both CBP and industry, in alignment with CBP’s Green Trade Strategy. Launched at the World Customs Organization in 2022, the Green Trade Strategy is an agency-wide strategic framework aimed at lowering carbon emissions throughout the global trade ecosystem, championing the green economy and addressing the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation as they relate to trade. The Green Trade Strategy establishes the agency’s vision to build resilience and address environmental and climate-related threats with an urgency that matches the global challenge, while capitalizing on opportunities to grow the economy and accelerate innovation in a sustainable way.
CBP welcomes participation in the Forum from a wide range of organizations and individuals, including chief sustainability officers, sustainability and trade compliance experts in the trade industry, non-governmental organizations, environmental researchers and academia, partner government agencies and other sustainability-focused entities.
Additional updates to the agenda and presenters for the Forum are forthcoming and will be posted on the Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum webpage as information becomes available. Participants can register until July 5 using CBP’s virtual and in-person registration pages.
For more information about the Green Trade Innovation and Incentives Forum, email GreenTradeForum2023@cbp.dhs.gov.
See related CBP Reports video.