KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 13): The US government has lifted the import ban which had been imposed on rubber gloves manufactured by the Brightway Group over alleged forced labour practices.

"US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) modified the withhold release order (WRO) issued on Dec 20, 2021 against disposable gloves produced by Brightway Holdings Sdn Bhd, Laglove (M) Sdn Bhd, and Biopro (M) Sdn Bhd (collectively, Brightway Group) in Malaysia," said a statement posted on the CBP's website.

"Effective immediately, the US will allow disposable gloves produced by the Brightway Group to enter the US, provided they are otherwise compliant with US laws. As of Oct 11, 2024, the US will no longer detain disposable gloves produced by the Brightway Group at US ports of entry," the statement read.

Brightway was the sole Malaysian glover maker left under the CBP ban, after Supermax Corp Bhd (KL:SUPERMX) was removed from the sanctions list in September 2023.

Other Malaysia-based glovemakers that previously faced import bans include Top Glove Corp Bhd (KL:TOPGLOV), WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, YTY Industry Holdings Sdn Bhd (YTY Group), and Smart Glove.

The CBP had also imposed bans against exports of palm oil and palm oil products from SD Guthrie Bhd (KL:SDG), formerly known as Sime Darby Plantation Bhd, and FGV Holdings Bhd (KL:FGV), due to allegations that they used forced labour.

The ban on SD Guthrie was lifted in February 2023, after a two-year period, while FGV announced in July this year that it has submitted a petition to the CBP, seeking the modification of the WRO imposed on its products in September 2020.