Today, at a National Press Club event, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) representatives discussed a CTA study that examines how the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) affects consumer technology companies importing into the United States and sourcing globally and what best practices can help the industry.
In the first of its kind research, CTA’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s Consumer Tech Industry Impact Study finds that since Congress enacted UFLPA in 2021 to prohibit the importation of products made with forced labor in the People’s Republic of China:
Consumer technology manufacturers use a variety of tools and resources to establish and maintain compliance with the UFLPA.
Most tech supply chain experts in the study sought to follow UFLPA by supply chain mapping and identifying direct suppliers but struggle with visibility and transparency beyond that tier.
The Department of Homeland Security Entity List is widely used (94%) among tech supply chain experts surveyed for ongoing compliance, but few (14%) have accessed the Customs and Border Protection Statistics Dashboard.
Finally, among tech supply chain experts surveyed, none report that their company has experienced seizures or detentions under UFLPA, suggesting a limited impact on consumer technology so far.
DHS Under Secretary, Office of Policy, and Chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, Robert Silvers joined CTA Vice President of International Trade Ed Brzytwa for the talk.
“Today’s event demonstrates how public-private engagement on the Administration's enforcement of the UFLPA advances our collective efforts in eradicating forced labor from supply chains,” said Brzytwa. “The technology industry looks forward to working with government, policymakers and other industry stakeholders to develop and implement best practices in support of UFLPA compliance.”
“DHS has shown through enforcement actions that the United States is taking concrete steps to keep goods made with forced labor out of U.S. supply chains,” said Silvers. “It is imperative for companies to conduct due diligence and know where their products are coming from. The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will continue to designate entities that meet the UFLPA’s criteria for inclusion on the Entity List, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue its vigilant enforcement at our ports.”
Among U.S. tech supply chain experts surveyed, the following were identified as ways to help companies navigate UFLPA:
Offer a best-practices standards framework for UFLPA compliance.
Develop industry best practices for UFLPA compliance or combatting forced labor in supply chains.
Organize educational opportunities for the industry.
Provide technical assistance on supply chain transparency and due diligence.