More than one in five fashion brands have seen shipments detained upon entering the United States by Customs and Border Protection, according to newly released data from TrusTrace.
This is evidence that a new “enforcement era” has begun, the supply chain traceability platform asserted in its latest report, which debuted at the Textile Exchange Conference in Vancouver, B.C. on Tuesday.
The research, made up of insights from 57 respondents across 24 countries, showed that just 20 percent of firms possess verified data about their supply chains going as far upstream as the material and farm level.
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As such, not only have 21 percent experienced detentions, but 58 percent consider having goods stopped at a border to be a realistic risk in the near term. A surprising contingent—75 percent—said they don’t feel fully prepared to prove the origins of their materials on demand, even though border scrutiny has reached new heights amid trade disruptions and fluctuations in tariff policy.
With that truth as a backdrop, supply chain traceability has evolved from a sustainability imperative to an essential part of modern trade, the report said.
With the European Union Deforestation Regulation ( EUDR ) coming into effect this year, the EU’s Forced Labor Regulation coming into play in 2027 and Digital Product Passport ( DPP ) requirements also on the way, TrusTrace ’s research highlighted an uncomfortable truth for fashion brands: The delta between regulatory awareness and operational preparedness is taking a commercial toll already.
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