title: “Trump’s New Tariff Wave: 60 Trading Partners Hit as Forced Labour Rules Reshape Global Trade” source: https://www.worldfootwear.com/news/us-introduces-new-tariffs-on-imports-from-60-trading-partners/11663.html date: 2026-07-27

Trump’s New Tariff Wave: 60 Trading Partners Hit as Forced Labour Rules Reshape Global Trade

The Trump administration has unleashed a fresh wave of tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, replacing temporary duties that expired on July 24. The new levies, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, are imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and cover approximately 99.4% of all US imports. For the global leather and footwear industries — which depend on intricate, multi-country supply chains — the implications are profound.

The legal basis for the tariffs is novel. Rather than citing national security or trade imbalance, the administration is invoking forced labour enforcement. Countries deemed to have made adequate progress in combating forced labour will face a 10% tariff; those that haven’t will be hit with 12.5%. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was blunt: “The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”

Whether the forced labour rationale is genuine policy or a convenient legal vehicle is being debated in trade circles. What’s undeniable is the timing. The new tariffs took effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 25, exactly when the temporary 10% tariffs imposed worldwide in February — following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Trump’s IEEPA-based tariffs — were set to expire. The handoff was seamless, almost choreographed.

The reaction from trading partners has been swift and varied. The European Union and Switzerland rejected the forced labour allegations outright. Australia called the tariffs “completely unjustified.” Brazil, which faces the higher 12.5% rate, described the decision as “arbitrary and unjustified” and announced it would activate its reciprocity law — potentially triggering retaliatory tariffs on US goods. Mexico, by contrast, claimed its effective tariff rate wouldn’t change. Norway said it wouldn’t retaliate at all.

For the leather and footwear sectors, the tariff landscape is now a patchwork of overlapping levies. Brazilian leather already faces a 25% tariff on footwear under separate measures. Vietnamese footwear, which overtook Chinese exports to the US market earlier this year, now faces additional duties. Chinese goods, already subject to extensive Section 301 tariffs from the first Trump administration, are layering new costs on top of existing ones. The cumulative effect is a fundamental repricing of global footwear and leather supply chains.

Some products are exempt — oil, gas, and fertilisers — but leather, footwear, and leather goods are not among them. This means a pair of shoes assembled in Vietnam from Brazilian leather, processed through Italian tanneries, and destined for US consumers could potentially be touched by tariffs at multiple points in the supply chain. The complexity of compliance — determining which goods from which countries face which rate — will be a logistical nightmare for importers and customs brokers.

The White House has indicated it may take further action through other legal mechanisms, suggesting this is not the final word. For an industry that has spent the last five years reconfiguring supply chains to navigate trade wars, pandemic disruptions, and geopolitical realignment, the message is clear: the era of predictable, rules-based global trade is over. Adaptation is no longer optional.

Source: World Footwear