It has been a big week for the European Union as the Members of the European Parliament voted on several important pieces of legislation. Most importantly for us, a law that will ban the sale, import, and export of goods made with forced labor and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) were passed and now present a way forward in the battle against forced labor in supply chains.

Banning products made with forced labor

The anti-forced labor regulation was adopted with a majority of 555 votes in favor, six against, and 45 abstentions. Lawmakers introduced it after growing concerns about forced labor in supply chains of cotton and solar panel industries, both of which are tied to the exploitation of Uyghurs in China.

This new law would allow E.U. member states to investigate suspicious goods, supply chains, and manufacturers and intercept them before goods enter the European market, as well as prohibit the sale of respective goods. Companies that fail to comply would face fines. Only if the manufacturers can prove that they have eliminated forced labor from the supply chains of their products, the products will be allowed to reenter the European Union.

“Today, worldwide, 28 million people are trapped in the hands of human traffickers and states who force them to work for little or no pay. Europe cannot export its values while importing products made with forced labour. The fact that the EU finally has a law to ban these products is one of the biggest achievements of this mandate.” – Maria-Manuel Leitao-Marques, Portuguese MEP

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