Malaysia’s Sime Darby Plantation cleared of forced labour charges by US
- US Customs and Border Protection said the company’s products ‘were no longer being mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with forced labour’
- Goods made by Sime Darby have been blocked from entering the US since 2020 over suspected abusive labour practices
US customs authorities have determined that palm oil products made by Malaysian firm Sime Darby Plantation were no longer produced with forced labour, according to a notice on the US Federal Register on Thursday.
In response, Sime Darby Plantation appointed an ethical trade consultancy to audit its facilities, and last year set aside about US$20 million to compensate current and former migrant workers who paid recruitment fees to secure jobs at the firm.
CBP, citing additional information it had received, said on Thursday it had now “determined that the products were no longer being mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with the use of convict, forced, or indentured labour by the Sime Darby Plantation”.
The CBP did not state what evidence it had received or whether the ban on the firm’s imports had been lifted. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sime Darby said it was aware of the US notice.
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“We are optimistic that the tremendous strides we have made in bolstering the quality of life for our workforce will soon be recognised by the USCBP and that we will be allowed to resume exports to the United States,” a spokesman said in an email to Reuters.