Online fashion retail giant Boohoo has denied it is aware of any investigation despite "recent media commentary" that it is facing a possible US import ban due to allegations over the use of slave labour.
The Manchester-headquartered listed group added that it is "confident in the actions it is taking to ensure that all of its products meet the [US Customs and Border Protection] criteria on preventing the product of forced labour entering the US (or any of its markets)".
Sky News has reported that CBP has seen enough evidence to launch an investigation after petitions from British lawyer Duncan Jepson, who runs Liberty Shared.
It comes after Boohoo's board said it was "shocked and appalled" after the Sunday Times sent an undercover reporter to work at a garment factory in Leicester in July 2020.
In a statement issued to the London Stock Exchange, the company said: "Boohoo continues to fulfil orders to customers in the US across all of its brands.
"The group will work with any competent authority to provide assurance that products from its supply chain meet the required standard.
"Over the past eight months the group has been working closely with 海角视频 enforcement bodies.
"If the group were to discover any suggestion of modern day slavery it would immediately disclose this to the relevant authorities.
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"In addition, Alison Levitt QC's independent review into boohoo's Leicester supply chain, published in September 2020, stated that 'there is no evidence that the company itself or its officers have committed any criminal offences'."
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Boohoo said that as a result of changes "already under way since 2019", and those initiated through the Agenda for Change programme, which includes implementing the Independent Review's recommendations in full, the group's supply chain in Leicester, and oversight of it, has been "significantly improved and strengthened".
It added it has made "significant progress in a number of areas", including appointing Sir Brian Leveson to provide independent oversight of the group's Agenda for Change programme and hiring Bureau Veritas and Verisio to support the ethical audits of suppliers and subcontractors.
That's as well as a new enquiry and enforcement specialist team headed by former Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Tim Godwin to support Sir Brian's independent enquiries.
The business said that it is also continuing to map and audit the group's tier one and tier two supply base, in the 海角视频 and internationally, led by teams from Bureau Veritas and Verisio. It has completed more than 400 on-site audits on 海角视频 suppliers and removed 64 suppliers from the group's 海角视频 supplier list who did not meet the group's standards on the levels of transparency required.
The statement added that Boohoo has committed to publish its 海角视频 tier one and tier two supplier list by end of March.
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In January, Boohoo revealed that it saw sales soar during the lockdowns of 2020, with a 40% increase in revenue in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
Later that month it also bought the Debenhams department store chain in a deal which sealed the closure of all of its 118 stores.