USA — Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA)
Tilkal - Importers of goods produced in Xinjiang need to prove that the goods were not mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, using forced labor.
[Updated May 13, 2026]
What. Aims at securing U.S. supply chains against forced labor: all entities whose supply chains touch the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China should undertake due diligence measures to ensure compliance with U.S. laws and trace their supply chains for potential exposure to forced labor.
When. Enacted on December 23, 2021, and took effect on June 21, 2022.
Products. Apparel, clothing, computer parts, cotton, processed cotton and cotton products, electronics, garments, hair products, polysilicon, rail transportation equipment, silica-based products, textiles, touch screens for handheld devices, automotives, tomatoes, tomato sauces and cans.
Who. All companies.
How does the regulation work?
An amendment to the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930, the UFLPA establishes a rebuttable presumption that all goods produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUAR) are made with forced labor and, therefore, are ineligible for entry into the United States.
Importers of goods produced in Xinjiang, or by entities on the UFLPA Entity List will need to prove that the goods were not mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, using forced labor. Otherwise the goods will not be permitted to enter the United States. This implies to demonstrate due diligence, effective supply chain tracing and supply chain management measures.
Main expectations
- Importers must make sure that no forced labor is present in their supply chains and be able to document it. Failure by importers to take appropriate remedial action after they learn of forced labor in their supply chain can expose them to potential criminal liability. Civil penalties can also be issued against those who facilitate the import of goods produced with forced labor.
- Importers should set up due diligence and efficient supply chain tracing to make sure they don't import any products that were mined, produced, or manufactured fully or in part using forced labor.
- Importers are required to know their suppliers and labor sources at all levels of the supply chain, to map out their entire supply chains from raw materials to imported goods or materials, and to show the chain of custody.
- Supply chain management must include supplier risk monitoring methods, and remediation if any identified indicators of forced labor.
- Importers must provide the required proofs for customs (due diligence system information, proof of forced labor risk assessment, supply chain mapping, tracing details including evidence of where goods were mined, produced, or manufactured, etc.).
- To address the burden of proof, they should establish transparency and ease of data access in the supply chain by enabling digital tools.
UFLPA in Numbers
The policy is causing significant market disruptions as companies strive to understand and manage their primary, secondary, and tertiary suppliers.
- Over 8,000 shipments have been held back, with nearly half of them were refused entry into the U.S. due to insufficiently clear and convincing evidence that the products they contained weren't made using forced labor.
- Electronics, industrial materials and textile sectors were the most subject to denial of access into the U.S.
