Ansell halts orders from Malaysian glovemaker Brightway after US ban

Kuala Lumpur

ANSELL has halted its orders to North America from Malaysian glovemaker Brightway Group after US Customs banned the Malaysian group's products following allegations of forced labour practices, Ansell said.

Australia's Ansell, a protection and safety products manufacturer, told Reuters in an email that it has suspended the North America orders, as a result of a ban imposed on Dec 20 by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), until Brightway has resolved the labour issues.

Malaysian news portal Free Malaysia Today first reported the halt and said US-based personal care products maker Kimberly-Clark has also acted to ensure compliance with the CBP's ban. The report did not say what action Kimberly-Clark took.

Neither Kimberly-Clark nor Brightway immediately responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

CBP said it identified indicators of forced labour during its investigation into Brightway, which is the seventh Malaysian company to face a ban in the last two years.

"At this stage, we are not aware of the specific evidence US CBP has of labour rights violations at Brightway and we have not extended this suspension outside Northern America," Ansell said.

Ansell said, however, that it was aware of non-compliance at the Brightway facilities through its third-party audits and continues to work closely with the glovemaker on remediation plans.

Ansell preferred to work with suppliers to ensure continued employment and improved conditions for workers, "than reactively cancelling supplier contracts in response to specific events or allegations", the company said.

It said it will monitor the situation closely. REUTERS