Consultation Process Open for USA-MEX-CANADA Agreements Affecting the Canmaking Sector

Washington, D.C. – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has opened a public consultation process in preparation for the Joint Review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which will take place on July 1, 2026, the date on which the continuity of the agreement will be evaluated and recommendations for action will be considered.

The USTR requests written comments and requests to participate in a public hearing, including summaries of testimony. The deadline for submitting comments and requests is November 3, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST. The hearing will be held on November 17, 2025, at 10 a.m. EST.

The key topics of the consultation are:

• Overall operation and compliance with the USMCA.
• Operation of the North American Competitiveness Committee, created to promote economic cooperation and workforce development.
• Recommendations for specific actions that promote balanced trade, access to new markets, and economic security in North America.
• Strategies to strengthen competitiveness and investment in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

The opening of this USTR public consultation on the USMCA Joint Review has direct and indirect implications for the canmaking industry, especially for companies operating in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada:

1. Trade rules and tariffs
   • The USMCA regulates trilateral trade and establishes rules on regional content, tariffs, and the flow of materials.
   • Can manufacturers and their suppliers may be affected if the review of the agreement generates changes in tariffs on aluminum or other inputs, or adjustments in rules of origin that determine whether their products can be considered “made in North America.”
2. Competitiveness and investment
   • The Competitiveness Committee evaluates how to promote production in North America.
   • This may influence incentives to maintain manufacturing plants in the U.S., Mexico, or Canada, including the modernization of can production lines or investment in technology.
3. Flow of materials and logistics
   • The USMCA covers aspects of transportation and movement of goods.
   • Changes or recommendations of the agreement may affect import/export costs of aluminum or preformed cans between the three countries.
4. Economic security and non-market policies
   • The consultations include issues of economic security and practices of third countries.
   • This may translate into measures that protect the can industry from unfair competition or foreign subsidies to aluminum.
5. Opportunity for influence
   • Canmaking companies can submit comments or participate in the hearing to influence policies that favor the competitiveness of the industry and the integration of the North American market.

In summary, any change in the USMCA derived from this review could affect input costs, trade flows, and investment decisions for can manufacturers in the region.