KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian manufacturer Smart Glove will be able to resume export to the US after the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lifted its withhold release order (WRO).
In a statement, the US agency said the glovemaker has demonstrated that it no longer uses forced labour.
CBP added that Smart Glove had made efforts to remedy the use of forced labour in its production, which included repayment of recruitment fees, improving living conditions, and implementing new worker-centred policies and procedures.
As such, the agency affirmed that any of Smart Glove’s synthetic glove shipments received on April 26 onwards will no longer be detained at US ports of entry.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s relentless enforcement efforts to prevent goods produced with forced labour from entering the US are changing companies’ behaviour, resulting in the elimination of forced labour from supply chains,” said US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Today’s modification of the WRO against Smart Glove proves that our enforcement efforts are driving responsible corporate citizenship and significant changes in corporate behaviour, and we will recognise those changes when they are instituted.”
In November 2021, CBP issued a WRO against Smart Glove and its group of companies, prohibiting them from exporting their products to the US.
The companies consist of Smart Glove Corporation Sdn Bhd, GX Corporation Sdn Bhd, GX3 Specialty Plant, Sigma Glove Industries, and Platinum Glove Industries Sdn Bhd. – The Vibes, April 27, 2023
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