Peters & Peters

ESG Enforcement Tracker

Charting the rise of criminal and regulatory enforcement

US Border bars bicycle imports due to forced labour

Date:
24 September 2025
Relevant legislation/regulation:
19 U.S. Code section 1307 (Forced Labour)
Jurisdiction:
United States
Status:
Ongoing
Regulator/enforcement authority:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
ESG Category:
Social
Defendant(s)/subjects(s):
Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd

Key Facts:

The US CBP has issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against the bicycles, bicycle parts and accessories manufactured by Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd in Taiwan.  On 24 September 2025 CBP announced it would begin barring imports of bicycles manufactured in Taiwan by Giant, based on information reasonably indicating the use of forced labour.

Giant is the world’s largest manufacturer of bicycles and has one factory in Taiwan. CBP said its investigation into Giant had uncovered abuse of vulnerability, abusive working and living conditions, debt bondage, withholding wages and excessive overtime, which are indicators of forced labour according to the International Labour Organisation (the United Nations agency for work). CBP have said that these abuses allowed Giant to produce goods below market value and undercut American businesses. 

The authority currently has 55 WROs in force against a variety of products. The importers of blocked goods may destroy or export them or seek to show that they are legal.

Sources: 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release 

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