Forced labour products

The use of forced labour in the manufacture of products remains a worldwide problem and requires common international regulations to solve it. The EU’s new legislation will effectively eliminate products made using forced labour from the Union market.

The reality of forced labour

Forced labour, including forced child labour, is still widespread across the world. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that globally there are around 27.6 million people in a situation of forced labour, of whom 3.3 million are children.

Forced labour, as defined by the ILO, is 'all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily'.

It refers to situations in which persons are coerced to work either through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more indirect means such as manipulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to the immigration authorities.

Forced labour is still found in a large number of sectors.

Textiles

Agriculture

Mining

The EU’s strategy to ban forced labour products

The EU adopted rules to prohibit the placing and making available on the EU market, or the export from the EU market, of any product made using forced labour.

To achieve this, the legislation, adopted in November 2024, establishes a structured framework for prohibiting the use of forced labour in the production of EU goods and within supply chains.

It will empower the EU to prohibit and remove a product from the single market if it is shown to involve forced labour, regardless of whether it is produced within the EU or imported into the EU.

Products made with forced labour: Council adopts ban (press release, 19 November 2024)

Investigations

To help assess possible violations of this regulation, the Commission will establish a database containing verifiable and regularly updated information about forced labour risks areas or products.

Different authorities are in charge of leading the investigations:

the Commission is competent outside EU territory
the competent national authority is in the lead when the risks are within the territory of a member state

Member state authorities should share information with other member states if they suspect that violations of the regulation occur in other parts of the EU, or share information with the Commission, if they suspect the use of forced labour in a third country.

The criteria for assessing violations of this regulation are:

the scale and severity of the suspected forced labour
the quantity or volume of products placed or made available on the Union market
the share of the parts of the product likely to be made with forced labour in the final product
the proximity of economic operators to the suspected forced labour risks in their supply chain, as well as their leverage to address them

Final decision

The final decision will be taken by the authority that led the investigation.

The decision taken by a national authority will apply in all other member states based on the principle of mutual recognition.

If the authorities conclude that forced labour has been used, they can decide to ban and withdraw the products from the EU market and online marketplaces. However, if producers eliminate forced labour from their operations or supply chains, banned products may be allowed back on the EU market.

Which products will be banned?

The proposal covers all products manufactured using forced labour or placed and made available on the market in the EU, or exported from the EU.

All industry sectors will be covered by the new legislation.

Increasing consumer confidence

The new rules will boost consumer confidence as products on the EU market are guaranteed to adhere to human rights standards.

For businesses, the proposal has the potential to streamline social sustainability efforts, fostering increased public trust and credibility among customers.

The objective of the anticipated ban is to contribute actively to global efforts aimed at eradicating forced labour and safeguarding the rights of workers and children.