TrusTrace has published a report on fashion brands' readiness to comply in the US market. The study found that 21% of surveyed brands selling into the US have had shipments detained.

Based on responses from 57 sustainability, compliance and supply chain leaders across 24 countries, including 40 full responses, the report highlights a gap between companies' awareness of tightening trade and sourcing rules and their ability to prove material origins when challenged by border authorities.

One of the sharpest findings is how visibility weakens deeper into supply chains. While 75% of respondents said they hold trusted data on Tier 1 factories, that falls to 33% at Tier 3, covering yarn and fibre, and to 20% at Tier 4, covering raw materials and farm level.

That matters because evidence from lower tiers is often central to origin checks and forced labour scrutiny. The survey also found that 75% of brands are not fully ready to prove material origin on demand.

The research suggests shipment detention is no longer a theoretical issue for companies shipping goods into the US. Among brands that had not yet faced a detention, 58% said they viewed it as a realistic near-term risk.

Basic compliance processes also appear uneven. Only 21% of respondents said they run continuous, automated compliance checks across suppliers, while 17% still rely on spreadsheets and email. Nearly half, 48%, of respondents selling into the US said they had not screened suppliers against US government forced labour entity lists.

The report places these findings within a broader regulatory shift affecting the fashion sector.

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