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EU Parliament Approves Ban On Forced Labour Products

• By  Textile Excellence
• April 28, 2024

The European Union (EU) Parliament has given its approval to ban on products made with forced labour. This decision was passed with an overwhelming majority of 555 votes in favour, six against, and 45 abstentions. This will have to get final approval from the EU Council and after that EU member countries will have to apply it in 3 years (by 2027).

The new regulations would prohibit the sale, import, and export of goods made using forced labour.

The regulation introduces significant modifications to the original proposal, clarifying responsibilities of the Commission and national competent authorities in the investigation and decision-making process. The Commission will establish a database containing verifiable and regularly updated information about forced labour risks, including reports from international organisations such as the International Labour Organization.

European Commission and national competent authorities would apply clear criteria while assessing the probable violations of the regulation. The Commission will also issue guidelines for the economic operators and competent authorities to help them comply with the requirements of this regulation.

This is a significant step towards eliminating forced labour and ensuring that there is no place for products made through exploitation of workers on the EU market. The International Labour Organisation estimates that around 28 million people around the world are in a situation of forced labour, generating a total of US$236 billion worth of goods a year.

There are significant number of allegation and evidence of forced and child labour in the textile & fashion chain. Human rights organisations have documented cases of forced and child labour in countries like China, especially in Xinjiang. One fifth of the world’s cotton comes from Xinjiang, where there is evidence of forced labour specifically related to cotton picking. Several European fashion retailers are sourcing materials made by Uyghurs in the notorious detention camps in Xinjiang, which produces about 90% of Chinese cotton. In 2021, US banned goods manufactured in Xinjiang, with importers legally obliged to provide evidence any products linked to the region are made without forced labour.

There are also allegations of such cases in the textile factories in India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan etc.

The European Union (EU) Parliament has given its approval to ban on products made with forced labour. This decision was passed with an overwhelming majority of 555 votes in favour, six against, and 45 abstentions. This will have to get final approval from the EU Council and after that EU member countries will have to apply it in 3 years (by 2027).