The forced labour filling our closets: U.S. is coming after it in an unprecedented way

Penalties against goods made with forced labour take effect June 21. Businesses warn it will cause chaos.

Here's an uncomfortable thought experiment for the next time you're standing before your wardrobe, running your fingertips through your garments.

Count five items containing cotton. Stop at the fifth garment. Now imagine an enslaved human being. Because by this point, you're statistically likely to own their work...

And there's a specific date when things are supposed to change: June 21.

That's the day a new U.S. law takes effect, aimed at reordering international supply chains by altering the behaviour of any company that sells goods to the U.S.

Critics of the measure warn it will cause economic chaos...

This was excerpted from the 5 June 2022 edition of CBC News.