US Bans Surgical Glove Imports From Top Maker Over Forced Labor Concerns

Disposable gloves manufactured in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by two Top Glove Corp subsidiaries have been banned by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

On Wednesday, July 15th, the CBP listed Top Glove’s subsidiaries Top Glove Sdn Bhd and TG Medical Sdn Bhd on its website due to allegations of forced labor.

The group is currently in the midst of investigating with its marketing team and the affected products under the disposable gloves category.

Top Glove reported they were "unaware of the matter".

The North America region, including Canada and the US, accounted for the largest share greater than 27% of Top Glove's sales volume during the financial year ended Aug 31, 2019 (FY19), according to the company's latest annual report.

For FY19, Top Glove said its rubber glove sales volume in North America rose 20.3% from a year earlier although the quantity sold was not specified.

This story is still developing.