"U.S. lifts import ban on Malaysian glove maker Supermax"

The United States has lifted a ban on Supermax Corp Bhd, allowing the Malaysian glove maker to resume sales two years after being sanctioned for alleged labour abuses, the company said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) barred imports from Supermax in October 2021 over the alleged forced labour practices.

In a statement, Supermax said the company and its subsidiaries have been allowed to resume exports effective Sept. 18 following the "successful remediation of forced labour indicators."

The CBP also said Supermax has "taken steps to remediate the forced labor indicators identified in its supply chain."

In 2021, the CBP said it had found the presence of 10 of the 11 forced labour indicators identified by the International Labour Organisation in Supermax's production process.

The ILO's forced labour indicators include excessive hours, debt bondage, physical and sexual violence, abusive working and living conditions.

Malaysian factories, which produce everything from palm oil to medical gloves, have come under increased scrutiny in recent years over allegations of abuse of foreign workers.