A total of 631 apparel, footwear and textile shipments with a combined value of $29.55 million have been stopped under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) since it came into effect in June 2022, according to statistics published Tuesday by US Customs and Border Protection.

Over one-third (261) of these shipments were denied entry following examination by US Customs, while 136 were cleared for entry and a further 234 are still pending. The vast majority of imports came from China (345) and Vietnam (263).

After electronics, the apparel, footwear and textiles industry was the second-most impacted by UFLPA enforcement, but had by far the highest number of shipments denied entry, the statistics show.

The UFLPA was an unprecedented regulatory move to strengthen authorities’ powers to seize goods they believe could be linked to forced labour in China and put a greater onus on businesses to prove their supply chains are free from such abuses. It followed previous crackdowns on US imports of cotton and tomato products linked to the Chinese region of Xinjiang, where according to widespread reports in recent years, Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities have been subjected to human rights abuses including forced labour at the hands of the Chinese government, though Beijing denies the allegations.

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Where Does Your T-Shirt Really Come From?

A stringent US ban on imports from China’s Xinjiang region ratchets up the pressure on companies to prove their supply chains are free of forced labour.