Insights on Corporate Social Responsibility

Welcome to the April 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

On February 25, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) requiring the US Department of Commerce (Commerce) to investigate the national security implications of the copper supply chain. The investigation will be based on section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

The proposed New York State Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (Fashion Act) and recently enacted Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) aim to compel the fashion industry to expedite the pace of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) initiatives in the fashion industry and wi

Arent Fox Partner Angela Santos will join a panel of international attorneys and consultants to present a webinar on April 12, 2021 at 12:30 PM.

Companies in the fashion, luxury, and agricultural spaces should take action in response to the forced labor supply chain due diligence requirements.

Just two weeks into CY 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is expanding its enforcement efforts against forced labor in China.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blocked imports of cotton products from a major Chinese state-owned firm in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) on December 2, saying the company uses forced labor of ethnic Uighur Muslims.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a Department-wide strategy to combat human trafficking, child exploitation and forced labor in the supply chain. 

The release on December 12, 2019, of the Hague Rules on Business and Human Rights Arbitration (the BHR Rules) offers a new and innovative dispute resolution option in the field of corporate responsibility.

Draft Guidance issued by the US State Department recommends that companies that export items with surveillance capabilities conduct human rights due diligence, and solicits feedback by October 4, 2019.

Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1307) prohibits the importation of merchandise mined, produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, in any foreign country by forced or indentured child labor – including forced child labor.

Importers of known industries where North Korean forced labor is used, such as footwear, textiles, seafood, mining, pharmaceuticals, and logging, must exert caution or be prepared to face the consequences.

On February 27, the Center for International Business & Human Rights at the University of Oklahoma College of Law held the inaugural meeting of its Advisory Board.

Right before the holidays, President Trump and his Administration took significant steps toward using economic sanctions to tackle international human rights abuses and corruption.

In September 2017, Partner Lee Caplan was invited to serve on the inaugural Advisory Board of the University of Oklahoma College of Law Center for International Business & Human Rights.

A watchdog organization known as Transparentem has uncovered dire working conditions in the heavily polluted tanneries located outside of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

An independent Working Group led by three international law specialists from Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United States has recently proposed drafting a specialized set of arbitration rules to resolve alleged human rights abuses by businesses.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is in the final stages of seeking input from business, government, and civil society on a new work program known as the Accountability and Remedy Project.

Canada’s National Contact Point (NCP) recently sanctioned China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. (China Gold) for its unwillingness to participate in consultations under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines) regarding China Gold’s mining activities in Tibet.

According to Lumber Liquidators’ most recent Securities and Exchange (SEC) disclosures, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing criminal charges against the company under the Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 3371-3378) for allegedly importing products containing illegally harvested wood.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has informed a US district court that it may not be proposing regulations requiring energy and mining companies to disclose payments to governments for the extraction of natural resources until spring 2016.

The stakeholder engagement process supporting the Obama Administration’s plans to develop a National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct (NAP) is well underway. Two stakeholder meetings have already occurred in New York City and Berkeley, California.

The US National Contact Point recently issued a Final Statement regarding complaints by two international labor unions that Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) engaged in conduct inconsistent with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines).

Many companies and other stakeholders have chosen to participate in the United Nations (UN) Global Compact as a means of demonstrating their commitment to integrating universal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles into their business practices.

Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development announced an enhanced Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy when it released a report entitled “Doing Business the Canadian Way: A Strategy to Advance Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada’s Extractive Sector Abroad.”