Ansell, industry players form alliance against forced labor

ISELIN, N.J.—Australian gloves manufacturer Ansell Ltd., along with six other industry players, is teaming up against forced labor.

The company and six other industry players have formed that Responsible Glove Alliance (RGA) in an effort to "ensure the rights and dignity of workers vulnerable to forced labor in Malaysia's rubber glove industry."

The alliance, formed March 1, includes Ansell, Cardinal Health Inc., Hartalega Holdings Bhd., Henry Schein Inc, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd. and Medline Industries L.P.

The RGA said it will initially focus its efforts on the Malaysian rubber glove manufacturing industry, the world's largest producer of gloves, which is heavily dependent on migrant labor.

The alliance will "identify, remediate and prevent" the conditions giving rise to forced labor through recruitment transformation, collective influence and the application of due diligence," it said.

In October 2021, the U.S. banned entry of Supermax disposable gloves due to forced labor allegations. The company has since rolled out new initiatives to improve its labor standards, according to a Jan. 3 statement from the Malaysian rubber gloves manufacturer.

Top Glove, after similar allegations, was allowed to resume exports to the U.S. in September 2021 after gloves were seized at the border in March 2021.

"We recognize that many labor rights challenges … cannot be solved by any one company working alone," said Neil Salmon, managing director and CEO at Ansell. "This new organization will bring an aligned cross-industry focus to this pressing issue."