Supermax latest glove maker hit by US import ban over forced labour
PETALING JAYA: Supermax Corporation has become the latest Malaysian glove maker hit by a United States import ban. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) yesterday issued a withhold release order to prohibit imports from Supermax’s wholly-owned subsidiaries Maxter Glove Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Maxwell Glove Manufacturing Bhd and Supermax Glove…
PETALING JAYA: Supermax Corporation has become the latest Malaysian glove maker hit by a United States import ban.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) yesterday issued a withhold release order to prohibit imports from Supermax’s wholly-owned subsidiaries Maxter Glove Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Maxwell Glove Manufacturing Bhd and Supermax Glove Manufacturing from entering the country based on reasonable information of forced labour in Supermax’s manufacturing operations.
In a statement, CBP said that with 10 of the 11 forced labour indicators identified during the course of its investigation, it had “ample evidence” to conclude that Supermax and its subsidiaries produce gloves in violation of US trade law.
“With this Withhold Release Order, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to make clear that products made in whole or in part by forced labor will not be allowed into the United States,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N Mayorkas said in a CBP statement.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will continue to set an international standard for the elimination of the deplorable practice of forced labor. We will remove it from American supply chains.”
Top Glove, the world’s leading glove manufacturer, faced a similar ban by the CBP over forced labour allegations in July 2020.
The ban was lifted last month after the company said it had resolved all indicators of forced labour in its operations, citing a report by independent consultant Impactt Limited.
Another leading Malaysian glove manufacturer, WRP Asia Pacific, was also put on the CBP withhold release order in September 2019 after charges that its gloves were produced through forced labour.
The ban was lifted in March 2020 based on information obtained by CBP showing that the company was no longer producing its rubber gloves under forced labour conditions.
Over the last year, palm oil producers Sime Darby Plantation and FGV Holdings have also been placed on the withhold release order list over forced labour allegations. — Free Malaysia Today