Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Takes Effect: What Importers Need to Know

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) is in effect as of June 21, 2022. Congress passed the Act in December 2021 to increase enforcement of longstanding U.S. policy prohibiting the importation of goods, or components thereof, made with forced labor and to create a “rebuttable presumption” that merchandise from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) or by an entity on the UFLPA Entity List is made with forced labor and thereby prohibited from entry into the United States. The rebuttable presumption applies to downstream products that incorporate inputs from XUAR, regardless of where the finished products are manufactured, including goods from outside XUAR in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), or in third countries. There is no de minimis provision in the law – any prohibited content, no matter how small, will make a product subject to the rebuttable presumption made by the law. If an importer can demonstrate by “clear and convincing” evidence that the goods were not produced wholly or in part by forced labor, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will grant an “exception” to the presumption. The UFLPA provides for increased detentions and seizures of merchandise and potential civil and criminal penalties. See prior GT Alerts on the UFLPA.

Pursuant to the UFLPA, a multi-agency task force chaired by the Department of Homeland Security was mandated to develop a strategy for the Act’s implementation. On June 17, in anticipation of the June 21 effective date, DHS released the “Strategy to Prevent the Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the People’s Republic of China” (Enforcement Strategy), which includes:

  • An assessment of risk of importing goods mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, in the PRC; according to the strategy, complex supply chains that touch XUAR are “highly susceptible to contamination by goods made using forced labor.”
  • list of entities affiliated with forced labor; therefore, their products are subject to the presumption that their goods are prohibited from entry. The Entity list will be updated multiple times per year and will be publicly available.
  • A list of high priority sectors and products including apparel and textiles, cotton and cotton products, polysilicon, and tomato products. Other products listed include footwear, nails, electronics, and toys.
  • Guidance to importers advising that companies need heightened due diligence to ensure compliance with UFLPA and to identify potential supply chain exposure to Xinjiang. Supply chain tracing is the general method to demonstrate that goods are free of inputs from Xinjiang, but CBP expects that barriers to supply chain tracing may make it difficult for importers to be compliant and has stated that third-party audits alone are insufficient to demonstrate due diligence.

Should CBP detain goods on suspicion of being made wholly or in part with forced labor, the importer has options. It can re-export the goods (up until CBP seizes them); it can abandon the goods; it can seek an “exception” for the goods, to get them released from CBP custody; it can also provide information to CBP demonstrating that the goods are not subject in any way to the Act. The evidence and documentation needed for the latter two must be “clear and convincing.”

It should be noted that in order to obtain an “exception” for goods that have been detained, an importer must meet all three of the following requirements:

  • Provide clear and convincing evidence that the detained goods were not made in whole or in part with forced labor, or were sourced from entities on the Entity List.
  • Fully and substantively respond to any questions from CBP.
  • Show that it has complied with all of the requirements set out in the Enforcement Strategy and CBP’s Operational Guidance (i.e., due diligence, supply chain tracing and management, etc.).

The Enforcement Strategy document provides importers with guidance in the following three areas:

  • Due diligence, effective supply chain tracing, and supply chain management measures to ensure that no goods violating the Act enter the importer’s supply chain.
  • The type, nature, and extent of evidence that demonstrates that goods originating in China were not mined (or grown), produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in Xinjiang.
  • The type, nature, and extent of evidence that demonstrates goods originating in China, including goods detained under Section 307 of the Tariff Act, were not mined (or grown), produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with forced labor.

CBP has made it clear that should there be a detention, participants in the Customs and Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program (C-TPAT) will be prioritized for review of submissions to rebut the presumption that the merchandise was made with forced labor.

Importers may wish to plan for contingencies should CBP detain imported merchandise, map complex supply chains and review purchase agreements and supplier codes of conduct.

©2022 Greenberg Traurig, LLP. All rights reserved.

New Updated FTC Care Labeling Rules: “Do’s and Don’ts”

Sheppard Mullin 2012

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) enforces federal labeling requirements that require manufacturers, importers, sellers and distributors of certain textile and wool clothing  to accurately label their products. For example, FTC rules require that manufacturers indicate the country of origin and fiber content in their clothing. In addition, the Care Labeling Rule requires that manufacturers and importers attach “care labels” to garments and certain piece goods.

Navigating these various labeling requirements can be tricky. On May 5, 2014, the FTC amendment of the labeling rules, known as the Textile Rules, became effective.

Care labels, which can influence consumers’ purchasing decisions more than labels indicating fiber content or country of origin or manufacture, are important to carefully consider.

“Do’s” for Clothing Manufacturers and Importers:

Place all care labels permanently, securely and visibly, so that consumers can easily see or locate them prior to purchase. Ensure that labels will remain legible not just at the point of sale, but throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Include a washing or drycleaning instruction (or both) if either method is safe for the product. If a product can be neither washed nor drycleaned, the label must state “Do not wash – Do not dry clean.” A simple “dryclean” instruction is acceptable in most cases, unless “any part of the drycleaning process would harm the product.” In that case, more specificity is required (e.g., “Professionally Dryclean” or “Dryclean. No Steam.”).

Indicate whether the product is to be washed by machine or by hand. The FTC has stated that water temperature settings must be indicated if “regular use of hot water will harm the product.” Similarly, if using chlorine bleach will harm the product, whereas other bleaches will not, the label must state “Only non-chlorine bleach, when needed.” The appropriate label in the event that no bleach is safe to use is “Do not bleach.”

State how to dry the product and how to iron it, if the product requires regular ironing. Temperature settings for drying and ironing are not needed unless the “regular use of high temperature will harm the product.”

If selling a garment with multiple pieces, only one label is required if the same instructions apply to all parts of the garment, and if the garment is sold as a single unit. The label should be attached to the “major piece” of the garment. In the event that the garment is not sold as a single unit, or if the instructions differ from one part of the garment to the next, then each separate piece of the garment needs its own care label.

If the garment cannot be cleaned without damaging the garment, potential customers must be warned on the label. It is imperative that following the care labeling instructions does not ordinarily lead to product damage. Along these lines, labels must inform consumers not to engage in certain procedures that they may erroneously but reasonably assume are acceptable, given the instructions of the label. For example, if a label indicates that clothes can be washed, a reasonable consumer might infer that the product can also be safely ironed. If these understandable assumption is incorrect, the FTC has stated that the label must indicate the risks involved.

One should always have a “reasonable basis” for everything written on a care labeling instruction. If a piece of clothing indicates that it cannot safely be ironed, there must be some proof (based upon experience, industry expertise or testing) known to the manufacturer or importer that ironing the clothing would cause damage. The FTC has alternatively stated that the manufacturer or importer must have “reliable evidence” to support all warnings or instructions on product labels. Guesswork is insufficient. However, what constitutes “reliable evidence” or a “reasonable basis” does depend on the circumstances. It is incumbent on manufacturers conducting tests to ensure that the results of any tests conducted on only one portion of multi-part garments do, in fact, have applicability to the entire garment.

Importers must ensure that these labels are placed on products before they sell them in the United States. It is not necessary for the labels to be attached as the products enter the country, however. Domestic manufacturers similarly must ensure that care labels are placed on finished products prior to sale.

“Don’ts” for Clothing Manufacturers and Importers:

Certain kinds of exempt apparel, including gloves, hats, and shoes, do not require care labels. Many items are also excluded from the care labeling requirements, including handkerchiefs, belts, suspenders, neckties, or non-woven garments made for one-time use. For piece goods sold for making apparel at home, it is not necessary to include care labeling instructions for any “marked manufacturers’ remnants of up to 10 yards when the fiber content is not known and cannot be determined easily.” These items are exempted from the Care Labeling Rule.

Garments custom-made from fabrics provided by consumers, or products sold directly to institutional buyers for commercial use (e.g., uniforms sold to Office Depot for use by clerks during business hours, and not purchased directly by the clerks), do not require care labels. This also includes items that the consumer may ask to be added to the garment (e.g. lining or buttons).

Use non-standard terms on labels. The FTC recommends, but does not expressly require, that manufacturers ensure that any terms they use on labels are in accord with the definitions in the Rule’s Appendix A glossary, where applicable. For example, the term “Warm” applies to initial water temperature ranging from 87 to 111 degrees F [31 to 44 degrees C]; “Hot” is from 112 to 145 degrees F [45 to 63 degrees C]; and “Cold” is up to 86 degrees F [30 degrees C].

*Gregg Re Summer Associate contributed to this article.

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