Robust Enforcement of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Remains Critical

Three years into the forced labour import ban, hundreds of companies remain linked to Uyghur forced labour

July 24, 2025

As we mark the third anniversary of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s (UFLPA) enforcement, continued US government investment in promoting accountability for supply chain links to Uyghur forced labor remains as critical as ever. Major companies and industries are still linked to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Uyghur Region) and to state-imposed forced labour of Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim majority peoples, demonstrating the need for increased enforcement efforts from the US government and for new, similar legislation in other jurisdictions. 

“The UFLPA is the strongest piece of legislation globally to address the human rights abuses facing my people. We must see sustained leadership on the Uyghur cause from the US government. Not only to address the harms in the Region, but also to demonstrate to other countries that legislative action to address Uyghur forced labour is possible and effective,” said Elfidar Iltebir, President of the Uyghur American Association. 

The UFLPA establishes a rebuttable presumption that goods from the Uyghur Region or from companies on the UFLPA Entity List are tainted by forced labour and therefore prohibited from importation into the United States. In order to understand their compliance risks, all companies importing goods into the US, regardless of industry, must fully map their entire supply chain down to the raw material level. 

“As new research on critical minerals and labour transfers, both of which impact numerous industries, demonstrates, it is critical to increase enforcement focus on labour transfers outside of the Region through expanding the UFLPA Entity List and increasing the list of high priority sectors to include recent research findings,” said Allison Gill, Legal Director at Global Labor Justice.

Over the past three years, US Customs and Border Protection has targeted more than $3.6 billion in shipments across various industries – from automotive and electronics to agriculture and textiles – denying the entry of nearly 10,000 shipments suspected of being produced with forced labour. The UFLPA Entity List includes nearly 150 entities identified as located in the Uyghur Region, participating in state-sponsored labour transfer schemes in the Uyghur Region, and/or sourcing from these entities. As a result, companies are responding and shifting supply chains out of the Uyghur Region, particularly seen in the solar industry.

“As recent reports demonstrate, the US Department of Homeland Security must redouble efforts to investigate and remedy circumvention of the UFLPA, which can include transfers of workers from the Uyghur Region to other parts of China as well as rerouting supply chains through third countries,” said Dean Pinkert, Special Advisor to Corporate Accountability Lab.

The UFLPA alone cannot end Uyghur forced labour. A coordinated global response is necessary. The US government must encourage trading partners to adopt legislation comparable to the UFLPA – including a regional or product-specific rebuttable presumption of violation where there is state-imposed forced labour – to help ensure those trading partners are not serving as dumping grounds for forced-labour-tainted goods. Further, companies should not wait for additional legislation to address supply chain links to Uyghur forced labour. The egregious human rights abuses occurring in the Region have been well documented. Companies must take immediate action to cut ties with the Uyghur Region to ensure they are not complicit in state-imposed forced labour and human rights abuses that the United Nations has found may amount to crimes against humanity. 

Photo by Josh Young on Unsplash