The Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA) prohibits the importation of all goods that are produced in—or contain any content from—the Uyghur Region in China. This region is believed to house forced labor operations and is a major supplier of PVC and raw materials to China and the greater Asian region.
This law impacts all major LVT players as containers are being detained until clear and convincing evidence can be produced to ensure forced labor was not used in making the goods.
UFLPA is the latest in a series of challenges facing LVT sourced from China, following tariffs, COVID-19-related backups and skyrocketing freight rates.
Floor Covering News asked dealers what, if anything, they were doing about potential delays:
“We are buying from enough vendors that if we need to pivot while one experiences an issue, we can. We still sell a fair amount of WPC and we do stock several of our most popular SKUs. We are also keeping an eye on whether laminate will be able to take a bite out of our SPC business; a lot of the new laminate is showing promise.”
—Susan Hadinger, Hadinger Flooring, Naples, Fla.
“We have not had any issues with materials recently. We try to stay away from all Chinese products, but it is extremely difficult to do so.”
—John Taylor, Taylor Carpet One, Fort Myers, Fla.
“With the supply chain issues during COVID-19 we increased the inventory we keep on hand with our stocking lines. Since we have yet to lower those figures, we are well positioned and can absorb any potential port delays. We also have yet to experience any delays from our vendor partners.”
—Bob Dolan, Avalon Flooring, Cherry Hill, N.J.
“This issue provides us even more leverage to focus on American-made products. Laminate will be more evident in our industry than ever before. It was inevitable that something caused the LVT force to be reckoned with. Little did we know it would be China’s demise. We have put stickers on our COREtec display that showcases stock at the mill, but that’s all we can do right now.”
—Cathy Buchanan, Independent Carpet One Floor & Home, Westland, Mich.
“We do not sell a large amount of LVT products; we mainly focus on hardwood. If someone needs a less expensive or more water- and scratch-resistant product, we lead them to laminate. With that being said, I imagine a slowdown in product availability for LVT-type products may eventually put pressure on pricing and availability of other products as well.”
—Janice Clifton, Abbey Carpets Unlimited, Napa, Calif.
“We have been made aware that a few of our major manufacturers intend to exit the China production market completely, leaving for places such as Vietnam. They have cautioned us to be ready for lengthy backorder lead times in the interim for certain products. To combat this, we will be focused on products made in the USA and those that have not had supply chain issues historically.”
—John Bretzloff, Barefoot Flooring, Castle Hayne, N.C.
