Robust communication with importers’ suppliers, as well as using publicly available alternative data sets, are two ways that companies can ensure UFPLA compliance, especially in an environment of uncertainty about how much the White House will focus on forced labor in the supply chain, according to speakers participating on two webinars hosted by Kharon last week.
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Customs brokers and importers are still grappling with how to comply with the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum derivatives that went into effect just after midnight on March 12 (see 2503120054).
Of the 4,437 shipments that CBP has flagged for potential violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act since the start of the federal government's 2025 fiscal year in October, nearly 88% of those shipments are from the automotive and aerospace industries, according to CBP data released in mid-February. The data reflects volumes between Oct. 1, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025.
The House Committee on Homeland Security issued its oversight plan for the year, and only mentioned trade once, when it wrote that it plans to "review the Department’s efforts to better facilitate legitimate trade and travel with updates to trusted traveler programs and expansion of CBP Preclearance locations."
CBP's Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee will be holding its quarterly meeting on March 5 in Atlanta, according to a Federal Register notice.
CBP has shifted its forced labor enforcement efforts to the automotive and aerospace sectors in the first quarter of FY 2025, according to analysis from Kharon, a risk analytics platform.
Altana, a New York-based, AI-informed global supply chain mapper, has determined that as many as 18,210 companies across the world could be exposed to corporate entities that DHS earlier this month flagged for potentially violating the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (see 2501140054). Of that group of more than 18,000 companies, 2,223 are U.S. companies.
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.
A lawyer for Shein submitted a letter to the U.K. Parliament denying its U.S.-bound products contain any Chinese cotton. The letter, sent Jan. 20 after several British lawmakers in a hearing earlier this month expressed concern about forced labor in the company's supply chains, said that the company complies with the laws and regulations of the countries in which it sells.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 13-19: