What this triage covers
From 14 December 2027, products made with forced labour may not be placed on the Union market, made available, or exported. The rule applies regardless of origin and to operators of every size. This page stays on product indicators, evidence readiness, and investigation preparation. It is separate from a general readiness checklist.
Application date
14 December 2027 is the application date encoded here. A date before then returns a preparation status. That does not mean the subject can be ignored until the date arrives.
What the regulation prohibits
Authorities use a risk-based approach. Scale, severity, possible state-imposed forced labour, product volume, and the share of a suspected component can affect priority. The assessment uses factual and verifiable information.
What it does not automatically require
The regulation does not create one universal audit duty, one certification duty, or one periodic reporting duty. Due diligence can be useful evidence. It is not presented here as one prescribed process.
How indicators are kept apart
Suspected indicators, product exposure, supply-chain evidence, and investigation readiness stay in separate groups. There is no numeric score and no country ranking. Geography alone never decides the result. Volume alone, or a large component share alone, does not create a finding.
Evidence readiness
Missing supplier mapping, origin evidence, due-diligence records, or the ability to produce records promptly is an evidence gap. Absence of evidence does not prove absence of forced labour. Documented mitigation is preparedness only and does not erase a review.
Illustrative examples
- No credible concern, high visibility, and available records: no specific elevated indicator is identified. That does not establish absence of forced labour.
- A credible concern, partial mapping, and missing origin evidence: elevated review together with a material evidence gap. Not a finding.
- A credible concern with a state-imposed concern or a severe or widespread indicator: specialist review. Not a finding.
- No specific concern, low visibility, and unavailable records: a material evidence gap. Not a forced-labour finding.
Limits
Operational triage only. Not legal advice. This tool does not decide whether a product was made with forced labour. Later Commission or authority material is a reason to update the ruleset by hand.