KUALA LUMPUR: The US government has lifted the import ban on rubber gloves from the Brightway Group, which was imposed over forced labour allegations.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it has modified the withhold release order (WRO) issued on Dec 20, 2021 against disposable gloves produced by Brightway Holdings Sdn Bhd, Laglove (M) Sdn Bhd, and Biopro (M) Sdn Bhd (collectively, Brightway Group) in Malaysia.
"Effective immediately, the US will allow disposable gloves produced by the Brightway Group to enter the US, provided they are otherwise compliant with US laws. As of Oct 11, 2024, the US will no longer detain disposable gloves produced by the Brightway Group at US ports of entry," it said in a statement.
This is the agency's second modification issued in 2024.
CPB noted that its enforcement efforts have improved living and working conditions for tens of thousands of workers, including the repayment of more than US$62 million in withheld wages and recruitment fees used to trap workers in debt bondage.
"Facilitation of legitimate trade is just as important as CBP's enforcement against illegal trade practices," said CBP's senior official performing the duties of the commissioner Troy A. Miller.
"When companies can document compliance with US trade laws, forced labour or otherwise, they'll have access to the US market. It's that simple," he noted.
On Dec 20, 2021, CBP issued a WRO against imported disposable gloves produced using forced labour, wholly or in part, by the Brightway Group.
CBP issued the WRO based on evidence reasonably indicating that the working conditions at the Brightway Group exposed workers to 10 of the 11 International Labour Organisation forced labour indicators.
Since the implementation of the WRO, the Brightway Group has taken actions to fully remediate the forced labour indicators within its manufacturing process.
Brightway was the last Malaysian glove manufacturer remaining under the CBP ban, following the removal of Supermax Corp Bhd from the sanctions list in Sept 2023.
Prior to this, Top Glove Corp Bhd had also faced an import ban over forced labour allegations.