The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act assumes that any product made with goods even partially sourced from the Xinjiang region of China has been made with forced labor, and therefore can’t be imported into the US unless a company can prove otherwise. This new US law that aims to weed out Chinese goods made with forced labor is catching some companies by surprise, triggering a swath of industries to untangle the roots of their hazy supply chains. Bloomberg quotes partner John Foote who explains that a supply chain, never simple, can be “like a family tree, except that you can have exponentially more members of the family.”

President Biden’s budget request for fiscal year 2023 sought over $70 million for UFLPA enforcement. A June Homeland Security report said US Customs needs another 300 positions to “effectively implement” the law, including officers, import specialists, scientists, technical experts, paralegals, and support staff. That kind of funding is unprecedented for the enforcement of a single law, said Foote.

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