The U.S. trade agenda just pushed forced labor compliance into a much bigger spotlight. A recent U.S. proposal would impose new tariffs of 10–12.5% on imports from 60 major trading partners, based on the argument that those economies have not done enough to prevent goods made with forced labor from entering their markets. The proposal reportedly includes major U.S. trading partners such as China, the EU, India, Japan, Canada, and the UK. Together, these represent most U.S. imports.
It is a clear signal that forced labor due diligence is increasingly part of how governments define fair trade, evaluate trading partners, and enforce market access. Your business must adapt to the reality that forced labor is no longer a standalone human rights or responsible sourcing issue. It’s connected to trade compliance, tariff exposure, supply chain transparency, and import readiness.
In the wake of these latest tariffs, the global trade landscape is about to shift. Your customers will be looking more closely at their suppliers to determine who has done the appropriate forced labor due diligence. Businesses selling into the U.S. will be looking to capitalize on any exemptions for these tariffs, so defensible documentation around forced labor is a must. Especially since this change is coming hot on the heels of the March 2026 executive order to prioritize enforcement of “Made in America” claims on products, and the new cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force focused on pursuing tariff evasion cases.
This is exactly where Assent helps. As forced labor compliance becomes more closely tied to global trade requirements, businesses need defensible data, scalable workflows, and a clear view of risk across complex supplier networks. Assent delivers all of these.
Here’s what you need to know right now as this story unfolds.
Forced Labor Controls Will Be a Measure of Fair Trade
The proposed tariffs signal a shift in how forced labor risk is framed. Historically, forced labor compliance has been discussed in terms of responsible sourcing or targeted import enforcement. Those priorities still matter, but the trade context is expanding.
The U.S. is now framing inadequate forced labor controls as an unfair trade practice. It moves the issue from “what is happening in one company’s supply chain?” to “are entire markets doing enough to prevent goods made with forced labor from circulating?” That is a different scale of enforcement.
The U.S. government used to address forced labor by focusing on specific goods, shipments, and supply chains, as reflected in the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Importers needed documentation that demonstrated their goods were not connected to forced labor, particularly under the rebuttable presumption framework related to Xinjiang. The proposed Section 301 tariffs, however, don’t target specific goods or regions. They target country-level trade practices and enforcement gaps.
That distinction is important for your business. Strong shipment-level documentation still matters, but it may not be enough to fully understand your tariff exposure. That’s why your forced labor due diligence program needs to live alongside the trade compliance conversation. Data needs to be shared for both purposes in one platform so that your team has the ability to forecast the impacts of tariffs on your bottom line.
What This Means for Your Complex Supply Chain
For complex supplier networks, this development reinforces that visibility has moved from competitive advantage to market access requirement.
Forced labor regulations are no longer limited to one jurisdiction or one enforcement model. Businesses may need to manage import prohibitions, disclosure obligations, human rights due diligence expectations, supplier documentation requirements, and tariff measures tied to country-level trade practices.
The answer is not to build a separate process for every new rule. That creates complexity, duplication, and inconsistent data. If you don’t already have a forced labor program in place, you will need to scale your operations quickly without introducing new and costly complexity.
A modern forced labor due diligence program should support more than basic supplier outreach. It should help you understand supplier relationships (such as beneficial ownership), screen for forced labor risk indicators, collect and manage evidence, document decisions, and connect that intelligence to broader trade compliance needs.
That’s exactly what Assent’s supply chain sustainability platform does. We help companies like you move from reactive checkbox compliance to data-driven supply chain risk management. When all your trade compliance and responsible sourcing programs are under one roof with Assent, you can connect the dots and proactively plan for growth.
Ready to make forced labor due diligence easier to scale across your supply chain? Talk to an Assent expert to learn how.
That is the value Assent brings to the market. Assent helps companies move from reactive compliance to structured, data-driven supply chain risk management. As trade and forced labor requirements become more connected, that capability becomes essential.
How You Should Prepare
Don’t wait for the final ruling before you start. The right response is to connect your forced labor due diligence with your trade compliance program today.
The most effective steps are practical, programmatic, and scalable when you use Assent’s platform:
- Connect forced labor due diligence data with trade compliance data and make it visible to your entire team.
- Strengthen supplier risk screening to identify forced labor risk indicators.
- Improve country of origin traceability across products, components, and supplier networks.
- Maintain audit-ready documentation, including supplier declarations, country of origin data, and due diligence records.
- Align tariff and duty management with supplier risk intelligence so trade teams can better understand how supplier risk, sourcing geography, and import costs interact.
This is complicated work, and Assent’s team of regulatory experts and supplier specialists help improve supplier engagement with your program. We give you the foundation to identify risk, document compliance activities, and respond with confidence as requirements evolve.
Better Supply Chain Data Creates Better Trade Decisions
The strongest compliance programs do more than meet individual requirements. They help you make better decisions. When you have reliable supplier data paired with defensible due diligence on forced labor risk, you’ll feel less impact from trade shakeups like new tariffs. You’ll understand tariff exposure more clearly. You’ll respond to customer inquiries faster, and without burdening your team with manual data collection. Your buyers will trust you more even as market unpredictability increases.
As the U.S. federal government puts more pressure on global supply chains to address forced labor concerns, there will be more market demand for transparency on your procurement policies, supplier codes of conduct, and your due diligence program to catch human rights risks that can be hidden deep in your supply chain.
Assent’s platform helps you build the data foundation you need at a speed and scale that outperforms manual data collection or software-only tools. Talk to one of our experts and learn how we can get you ready for the next shift in trade compliance.
This information is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or regulatory advice. The information is current as of the date of publication or send. Your organization remains responsible for confirming compliance obligations.
