Texbrasil participates in international ALAC meeting on combating illicit trade

The Texbrasil Program, represented by its Manager of Foreign Trade and Regulatory Affairs, Patrícia Pedrosa, participated in the 10th Meeting of the Latin American Anti-Smuggling Alliance (ALAC), held on June 5–6 in Guatemala City. The event was organized by the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI) and the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala, bringing together over 350 representatives from public and private organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The main focus of the meeting was to strengthen joint strategies to combat illicit trade — a challenge that directly impacts competitiveness, tax revenue, and border security. With a program featuring conferences and thematic panels, the initiative highlighted the importance of international cooperation, the use of disruptive technologies, and the modernization of regulatory frameworks to support legal trade across the region.

Patrícia Pedrosa contributed to the textile and apparel sector roundtable, which addressed key topics such as:
• The need for regulatory harmonization in classifying piracy as a crime with stricter penalties;
• The growing issue of trade diversion (both physical and digital), especially in the context of tariff wars;
• The importance of origin labeling as a tool for traceability and anti-smuggling efforts;
• The impact of e-commerce on informality and the need to promote data exchange among customs authorities in member countries.

At the conclusion of the event, the Guatemala Declaration was released — a document summarizing the main commitments made by participating entities and reinforcing the strategic role of initiatives like ALAC in building a unified agenda to promote legality and competitiveness in the region.

Texbrasil’s participation in the meeting was part of its official agenda and reinforces the program’s commitment to fostering an ethical, safe, and sustainable business environment for Brazil’s textile and apparel industry.