US Customs Blocks Under Armour Supplier Needle Craft After Forced-Labor Investigation

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ordered detention of apparel from Needle Craft’s main factory and its sister plant, Casual Wear, in the Ad-Dulayl Industrial Park, Zarqa, Jordan. The ban, effective immediately, targets shipments entering U.S. ports for violating forced-labor standards.

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The i Paper’s two-year probe linked three worker suicides to Needle Craft facilities: Bangladeshi migrant Tureza Akter (Nov 2023), an unidentified Fine Apparel employee two months earlier, and Sri Lankan printer Nimali Nimeshika (July 2024). Survivors reported 16-hour shifts, withheld passports, sub-minimum wages and threats of violence.

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Import data show Under Armour imported over 200,000 containers from Needle Craft in the past year, while medical-scrubs brand Figs imported about 10,000 containers in the same period. Columbia and American Eagle have halted Needle Craft sourcing.

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CBP said workers faced identity-document retention, excessive overtime, intimidation, wage withholding and other abuses. A Needle Craft manager claimed local police investigated the suicides but offered no further comment. Under Armour declined comment, and Figs, despite a 2024 pledge to stop trading with Needle Craft, continues to receive shipments.

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Dominique Muller of Labour Behind the Label called the situation “outrageous” and highlighted “shocking abuses” that place workers “at the bottom of the pile.” Scott Nova of the Worker Rights Consortium warned that forced labour and suicides should compel Under Armour to take corrective action, questioning whether any abuse would be tolerated.

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CBP’s order excludes Needle Craft’s Fine Apparel unit, not part of the immediate probe. British import records for Needle Craft products are not publicly available, leaving Under Armour’s UK distribution unclear.

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The enforcement illustrates the expanding reach of U.S. forced-labour regulations and may force brands to audit supply chains rigorously. Detained goods could be destroyed or re-exported, creating financial losses and bolstering calls for mandatory human-rights due-diligence laws in the United Kingdom.

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• “retention of identity documents, excessive overtime, intimidation and threats, physical and sexual violence, withholding of wages, restriction of movement, and abusive living and working conditions” — CBP statement

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• “outrageous” after such “shocking abuses” which show that “workers are at the bottom of the pile.” — Dominique Muller, Labour Behind the Label

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• “If forced labour and worker suicides are not enough to stir Under Armour to take meaningful corrective action, is there any level of worker abuse it won’t tolerate?” — Scott Nova, Worker Rights Consortium

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• “Management bribes compliance officers, so if anyone complains to compliance, their name is revealed to the management and they get fired.” — Former Needle Craft employee (anonymous)

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CBP will retain detained shipments pending origin verification, while advocacy groups urge the U.K. to adopt binding human-rights due-diligence legislation. Industry observers anticipate further audits of Jordanian factories and possible legal actions against non-compliant brands.

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