Top Glove subsidiary's shipment to Kansas City seized by US Customs
Due to indications the products were made by forced labour, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency seized a shipment (above) of 4.68 million latex gloves originating from Malaysia which were headed for Kansas City, Missouri in the US.
This shipment was seized after an inspection by CBP officers revealed the gloves were produced in Malaysia by a subsidiary of Top Glove Corp Bhd, the CBP said in a statement yesterday. The estimated value of the shipment was US$690,000.
Due to indications the products were made by forced labour, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency seized a shipment (above) of 4.68 million latex gloves originating from Malaysia which were headed for Kansas City, Missouri in the US.
This shipment was seized after an inspection by CBP officers revealed the gloves were produced in Malaysia by a subsidiary of Top Glove Corp Bhd, the CBP said in a statement yesterday. The estimated value of the shipment was US$690,000.
“Considering this seizure took place in the heartland of America, it goes to show that imports produced by forced labour affect everyone nationwide.
“CBP will not tolerate forced labour in US supply chains,” said Port Director-Kansas City Steven Ellis in the CBP statement.
On March 29, the CBP had issued a forced labour finding revealing multiple forced labour indicators in Top Glove’s production process, including debt bondage, excessive overtime, abusive working and living conditions as well as retention of identity documents.
On the same day, the CBP directed personnel at all US ports of entry to begin seizing disposable gloves produced in Malaysia by Top Glove, the world’s largest medical glove maker.
It had initially banned products from two of Top Glove’s subsidiaries last July but extended the ban to all of the manufacturer’s products made in Malaysia in March.
On May 5, the CBP had also seized a shipment of 3.97 million nitrile disposable gloves from Top Glove estimated to be worth US$518,000 on indications they were made by forced labour.
Top Glove had admitted last month that its glove production had been affected by the US ban but announced at the end of April it had resolved all indicators of forced labour in its operations, citing a report by the ethical trade consultancy it hired.
The CBP said today there is a federal statute in the US that prohibits the importation of merchandise that involved any form of forced labour, convict labour or indentured labour.
They said they will seize shipments subject to findings unless the importer can prove to CBP’s satisfaction that the merchandise was not produced with forced labour.
In an immediate response, Top Glove reiterated its commitment to working closely with the CBP to resolve its withhold release order (WRO).
"We wish to inform that we have provided the CBP the submission of all remediated 11 International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) forced labour indicators as verified by an independent international UK consultant, Impactt Ltd, in our report dated April 22," said the rubber glove maker in a statement today.
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