Manufacturer Mannington Wood Floors (Salem, N.J.) said Thursday it also has stopped shipping wood flooring produced using prison labor into Canada.
Manufacturer Mannington Wood Floors (Salem, N.J.) said Thursday it also has stopped shipping wood flooring produced using prison labor into Canada.
On Monday it was reported that Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) took similar action after acknowledging to authorities it had been unwittingly shipping the prohibited products into Canada. The Canadian law in question is Memorandum D9-1-6.
Betsy Amoroso, director, corporate communications at Mannington, said Thursday that the barred product "represents a small percentage of what is sold into Canada. We no longer export these products to Canada, and we are working to provide alternative products in their place."
The shipments potentially put the manufacturers' respective importers in Canada in jeopardy. Under Canada's Customs Act, importers that violate Memorandum D9-1-6 could have their goods seized, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
"We ceased shipment as soon as we became aware of the situation," Amoroso added, declining to elaborate on specifically when Mannington was alerted. "We are currently evaluating the situation and path forward with our distributors and customers in Canada."