14 April

A new rule to ban the US import of products made with forced labor could mean trouble for companies whose supply chains reach into the darkest corners of the global labor market.

Last week, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a seizure order for a shipment of soda ash produced by Tangshan Sanyou Group, alleging that the chemicals exporter relies on prison labor. It was the first such order since 2001, granted after Congress closed a loophole that had rendered a century-old ban on forced labor imports toothless.

A second order against another Chinese chemical company, Tangshan Sunfar Silicon Industries, was announced on April 13. Both companies provide the chemical processors to a huge range of common products, from glass and dyes to silicone and food preservatives.

Now, activists and companies are gearing up for a battle over the rule, which came into effect last month. A coalition of human rights advocates and labor groups are organizing to use the rule to force the seizure of imported goods and to call attention to dangerous labor practices abroad, even as companies respond to mounting pressure to clean up their supply chains...