ASTA partnered with the Sustainable Spice Initiative (SSI) to offer an interactive three-part webinar series in spring 2024 on sustainability essentials, namely, how to define sustainability in the spice industry. The sessions address how sustainability is tied to the economic paradigm and the advantages of embracing sustainability, including its profound impact on financial performance and brand enhancement. The series explores insights into global and U.S. sustainability concerns and why and how ASTA members should prioritize sustainability as a risk management tool and regulatory compliance strategy. It also offers practical insights into navigating sustainability certifications and industry standards. Part II - A Pathway to Sustainability for the American Spice Industry, presented by Kai Robertson, Senior Corporate Sustainability Advisor, addresses: Why should ASTA members care about sustainability? Sustainability as a risk management/mitigation tool. How sustainability can help with regulatory compliance – MRLs, heavy metal, forced labor, traceability, resilience. Sustainability as a differentiator – brand protection, brand building, storytelling, building customer and consumer intimacy. How can sustainability help attract and retain talent and improve organizational engagement levels? What can ASTA members do?

Presented by Jennifer McCadney with Kelley Drye & Warren LLP at the ASTA 2022 Regulatory Workshop on September 12, 2022, this presentation provided an update on agency guidance issued by U.S. Customs & Border Protection and the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force in connection with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) to help importers comply with the new law and satisfy its rebuttable presumption. It also will cover distinctions made between UFLPA enforcement and the withhold release order (WRO) process under Section 307, which continues to apply to forced labor-made imports that are not tied to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Finally, it will highlight notable U.S. forced labor enforcement trends ensuing from UFLPA’s June 21 effective date.