U.S. Customs and Border Protection has revoked the withhold release order it issued in September 2019 for disposable rubber gloves produced in Malaysia by WRP Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd. Effective March 23, such gloves manufactured after March 16 are admissible at all U.S. ports of entry.
CBP states that the WRO was revoked based on recent information showing that WRP is no longer producing the gloves under forced labor conditions. CBP adds that it provided feedback to the company on adjusting its manufacturing and labor practices and ensuring that its supplies are compliant with U.S. and international labor standards.
19 USC 1307 prohibits the importation of goods mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, in any foreign country by forced labor, including convict labor, forced child labor, and indentured labor. When information reasonably indicates that goods violating this prohibition are being imported, CBP may issue withhold release orders, which are generally directed at specific manufacturers, exporters, and goods. A list of all such orders is available here.
Stakeholders should closely examine their supply chains to ensure that imported goods are not made with prohibited forms of labor.
For more information, please contact trade consultant Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956.
Copyright © 2023 Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.; WorldTrade Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.