International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) will begin an investigation in response to a complaint accusing Ralph Lauren Canada LP of "using or benefiting" from Uyghur forced labor, CORE announced in a press release Aug. 15. This follows the publication of an Initial Assessment report for Ralph Lauren Canada detailing allegations that it has supply relationships with Chinese companies that use Uyghur forced labor.
CBP in July identified 388 shipments valued at more than $107 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor, including goods subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and withhold release orders, the agency said in its most recent operational statistics update. That's down from June, when CBP identified a total of 405 shipments valued at more than $239 million (see 2307190029). Also in July, CBP seized 1,698 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $165 million, the agency said.
The Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act in Canada does not require large Canadian companies to take action or reduce the risk of forced labor in their supply chains, a new analysis from McMaster University said. The study, released Aug. 2, said the act does not hold companies accountable when forced labor is found. The report, conducted with the Governing Forced Labour in Supply Chains Project, focused on the Canadian company Lululemon Athletica.
A new report from a human rights research group reveals over 200 recent allegations of labor abuses in Myanmar’s garment industry and highlights the due diligence challenges faced by fashion companies and other businesses sourcing from the region. The report, produced by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, said abuse allegations have spiked since the country’s military coup in 2021, and have included wage reductions, wage theft and forced overtime.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller must respond to allegations of forced labor used in imported cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire by seven major chocolate companies, the International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates) said in its Aug. 15 complaint at the Court of International Trade. The suit aims to force DHS and CBP to issue a decision in response to a 2020 petition filed by IRAdvocates along with Corporate Accountability Lab, and the University of California Irvine Law School's Human Rights Clinic (UCI) (International Rights Advocates v. Alejandro Mayorkas and Troy Miller, CIT # 23-00165).
First Solar, a U.S.-based solar panel manufacturer, said a third-party audit found that its factories in Malaysia had workers who were victims of forced labor. The company disclosed the finding in its 2023 sustainability report, adding that some of its migrant employees were "subjected to unethical recruitment," passport retention practices and "unlawful retention of wages."
The Commerce, State and Labor departments highlighted South Sudan’s cattle industry as a forced labor risk in an updated business advisory released this week. The Labor Department said it has a “reasonable basis to believe” cattle sourced from the country is produced by “forced or indentured child labor,” calling the sector a “significant industry in South Sudan with potential to expose U.S. business and individuals to significant reputational and legal risks.”
Five Republican senators, led by Marco Rubio of Florida, are asking the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to add Contemporary Amperex Technology, Co. Limited (CATL) and its supplier and former subsidiary Xinjiang Zhicun Lithium to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list.