weighted score 3.4 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
United States
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for US-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
3
No ILAB listings for US-origin goods. UFLPA enforced at US border — affects US-China supply chains, not US exports to EU.
Worker rights & FOA
3
ILO core conventions partially ratified. Freedom of association protected. Some restrictions in right-to-work states. Generally strong enforcement.
OHS & audit transparency
2
OSHA enforcement robust. High audit transparency in export manufacturing. Strong corrective action culture.
Food & product safety
3
FDA and USDA competent authorities. Generally low RASFF alert rate. Some divergence from EU standards in pesticides and additives.
Environmental & regulatory
2
EUDR low-risk classification (May 2025). No IUU card. Strong environmental enforcement. CITES compliant.
Governance & anti-corruption
4
TI CPI 2024: 65/100. Strong institutions with some concerns around political financing and regulatory capture in certain sectors.
Tariff & preferential access
7
No EU preferential access. MFN tariffs apply. No EU-US FTA in force. TTIP negotiations stalled. Tariff exposure elevated under current trade tensions.
Non-tariff barriers
5
Some food categories face EU standard divergence issues. No sanctions. Increased trade friction under current geopolitical environment.
Supply chain traceability
2
High EcoVadis and audit coverage. Strong digital traceability infrastructure. Formal economy dominant.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Regulatory framework
- Comprehensive federal and state labour law: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). State laws may provide stronger protections.
- Forced labour enforcement
- Tariff Act Section 307 prohibits importation of goods made with forced labour. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) creates a rebuttable presumption against Xinjiang-origin goods. US CBP Withhold Release Orders issued across multiple countries.
- Agricultural workers
- Migrant and seasonal agricultural workers are partially excluded from FLSA overtime protections. H-2A guest worker visa abuse and debt bondage documented in agricultural supply chains in some states.
- ILO conventions
- The US has ratified only 14 ILO conventions — notably not C087 or C098 (trade union rights), and not C138 (minimum age). The US is not an ILO GSP+ equivalent country for purposes of social compliance benchmarking.
- Supply chain due diligence
- No mandatory EU-style CSDDD equivalent in US federal law. California Transparency in Supply Chains Act requires disclosure statements from large retailers and manufacturers.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- Trade relationship
- No EU-US Free Trade Agreement in force. Standard MFN tariffs apply. Negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) were suspended in 2016 and not resumed.
- Tariff exposure
- US goods exported to the EU face MFN duties varying by product category. Agricultural goods, processed foods, and some manufactured goods carry meaningful tariff barriers without preferential access.
- Regulatory divergence
- EU and US food safety, chemical, and product standards diverge significantly. US-origin food products must meet EU standards (additives, contaminants, labelling) for EU market access — mutual recognition is limited.
- EUDR exposure
- US soya production is significant and EUDR-regulated. US-origin soya and derived products require EUDR due diligence statements. US corn is not EUDR-regulated.
- CBAM
- EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) applies to steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, and electricity from 2026. US exports of covered goods will require CBAM declarations.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridors
- East Coast ports (New York/New Jersey, Baltimore, Savannah) → North Atlantic → EU ports. Gulf Coast → North Atlantic or via Panama Canal.
- Main EU destination ports
- Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre
- Typical transit time
- 7–12 days (East Coast to Northwest Europe)
- Air freight
- Major transatlantic air freight hub: JFK, Chicago O'Hare, Atlanta. Transit 1–2 days. Approximately 50–70× sea freight emissions intensity.
- Scope 3 relevance
- Maritime freight from US East Coast to Northwest Europe generates approximately 0.2–0.4 kg CO₂e per kg of cargo — lower than long-haul Asian origins due to shorter distance.