On June 21 this year, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began enforcing the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA). The import of goods made with forced labour has been illegal for some time in the US, and this new Act extends the reach of CBP to block the import of goods made with forced labour.

In the past, CBP issued “withhold release orders” and “findings” on imports from specific companies and/or specific countries, when there was a reasonable suspicion to detain the goods. The importer would then have 30 days to demonstrate that the product was not made using forced labour.

Under the new UFLPA, CBP will be able to detain or seize any and all goods that were made, in whole or in part, with inputs from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region, on the presumption that the goods were made using forced labour. Importers will have 30 days to demonstrate that the goods were either not made using forced labour, or that the goods did not include any inputs from the Xinjiang region.

Christian Sivière, CEO, Solimpex, Trade update: Forced labour and the supply chain, Sept. 5, 2022

To read the full article, visit: https://www.insidelogistics.ca/opinions/trade-update-forced-labour-and-the-supply-chain/