Seattle, WA (October 9, 2014) — Outdoor gear manufacturer Cascade Designs represented U.S. manufacturers at the recent Environmental Goods Agreement launch event, hosted by the Coalition for Green Trade and led by senior government officials including Ambassador Michael Froman (U.S. Trade Representative), Senator Ron Wyden (Chairman, Senate Finance Committee), and Representative Dave Camp (Chairman, Ways and Means). The event featured a discussion on the WTO Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) negotiations, a major new initiative to eliminate barriers to trade in green technologies.
President of Cascade Designs Joe McSwiney had the honor of speaking at the event, to share his perspective on how the EGA would benefit a U.S. manufacturer. Under the EGA, Cascade Designs could export, tariff-free, water filtration and purification products for the outdoor recreation and global health markets.
“The tariff reductions afforded by the EGA will greatly enhance the global reach of our new water purification technology,” said McSwiney. “More importantly, it will accelerate trade in environmental product in general, enabling us to leverage green technology in more applications, increase jobs, and ultimately make a greater difference in global health.”
Cascade Designs partnered with PATH, World Vision, and Laird Norton Family Foundation, global health non-profit organizations, to develop a new water purification device — the MSR Smart Electrochlorinator (SE200 PDF) — to bring clean water to populations around the world. Recently approved for commercialization, the coffee mug-sized SE200 revolutionizes water treatment by using only a 12-volt car battery and salt to create a precise chlorine solution in just five minutes, which then can treat 55 gallons of water. It’s simple, reliable, safe and cost-effective design empowers communities with a sustainable means to creating safe drinking water.
Fourteen economies — accounting for 86 percent of global trade — are negotiating the Environmental Goods Agreement to eliminate tariffs on environmental technologies, such as wind turbines, water treatment filters, and solar water heaters, which can run as high as 35% and pose a significant barrier to trade for U.S. companies.
“As President Obama said last year when he announced the Climate Action Plan, ‘there is no contradiction between a sound environment and strong economic growth,'” remarked Ambassador Froman. ” By removing barriers to global trade in environmental goods, we can promote technologies that allow better access to safe water, sanitation, and clean energy we can encourage countries to adopt strategies for sustainable development and help drive innovation that could lead to even cleaner technologies. And the best part is… we can do all of this while helping to support American jobs.” Cascade Designs’ partners in global health and disaster preparedness include PATH, World Vision, Laird Norton Family Foundation, DARPA, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate.
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About Cascade Designs, Inc.:
Founded in 1972,Seattle-based Cascade Designs has led the outdoor industry in designing innovative, useful and long-lasting equipment, manufacturing the majority of products in their Seattle, U.S.A. and Cork, Ireland facilities. From the original self-inflating Therm-a-Rest® camping mattress to the first multi-fuel stove, Cascade Designs has developed products that explorers, travelers, adventurers, outdoor enthusiasts and weekend campers can rely on to deliver optimum performance in the outdoors through exceptional engineering and quality. Cascade Designs has also successfully expanded into making products for Medical, Military, Global Health and Disaster Preparedness markets.
For more information on Cascade Designs, please visit www.cascadedesigns.com or call 1-800-531-9531.
About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.
Highlights
- World Vision partners with Cascade Designs to develop a new water purification device, the MSF Smart Electrochlorinator.
- Cascade Designs represented U.S. manufacturers at the recent Environmental Goods Agreement launch event.