Sparks, Nevada-based Castelli North America and Cherry Hill, New Jersey-based Impex International Inc. have applied to participate in the comprehensive compliance program developed by the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), the promotional product industry’s only independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping companies provide safe products. Since QCA introduced its compliance program in 2009, 19 companies have become QCA certified and another 15 applicants are currently enrolled in the QCA accreditation program.
“All Castelli products are manufactured within Europe and comply with the environmental, product safety and human rights regulations established by the European Committee,” said Susan Gale-Seymour, Castelli executive vice president of operations. “Additionally, we received the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification in 2009. But our customers are asking for an even more comprehensive compliance solution.”
Missy Kilpatrick, MAS, Castelli executive vice president, continued, “We want to be able to offer our customers a global solution to compliance, and the QCA certification program is the industry standard. Becoming an applicant for QCA accreditation is the next step in our long-held commitment to high standards in quality and compliance.”
Castelli and Impex have begun the initial self-certification phase, which is followed by a rigorous self-assessment. Once these are complete, the company then submits its headquarters and supply base to multiple third-party audits. Finally, the QCA board uses a scorecard representing the performance of the applicant and its supply chain on the third-party audits as the foundation for granting accreditation.
“Like Castelli, we are also receiving many inquiries about our compliance procedures,” said Randy C. Chen, Impex president. “Working to achieve QCA certification will bring credibility to our organization in the current safety-conscious environment of the promotional product industry.”
Brent Stone, QCA executive director – operations, commented, “QCA momentum is accelerating as distributors respond to the need for proactive compliance programs in order to meet their end-buyer client requests. Companies are recognizing that the market is in fact moving and the pace of this change is accelerating-a fact that was quite evident at The PPAI Product Safety Summit, which prompted the blog post Surf’s Up: Our Industry Is At A Tipping Point.
“QCA-accredited companies are able to differentiate their offerings via an independently audited compliance program and position themselves to better meet the demands of distributors who sell to Fortune 1000 customers,” Stone continued. “Castelli and Impex are hearing about compliance on multiple fronts and have recognized the market shift. We are very pleased they have decided to join the QCA movement and expand the solutions they offer to their customers.”
For more information about QCA accreditation and to inquire about the process and benefits received, e-mail [email protected].
About QCA:
Chicago, Illinois-based Quality Certification Alliance is an independent, accreditation organization whose mission is to elevate the standards by which industry firms that import and/or manufacture promotional products provide consistently safe, high-quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise. QCA accreditation is granted to companies who complete an independent third-party audit and comply with stringent standards, which are based upon a combination of state and national laws, international standards and industry-accepted best practices that are recognized for their strength and effectiveness by QCA-accredited companies, the promotional products industry and end-user clients.
The QCA was formed in July 2008, and today 19 companies have meet the rigorous qualifications to achieve QCA accreditation: Avaline, Barton Nelson Inc.; BDA Inc.; Broder Bros.; Bullet; Cutter & Buck; Dard Products Inc.; Fanda Enterprises Inc. dba PromoFactory; Garyline, Gemline; Gordon Sinclair; Jetline; JournalBooks/TimePlanner Calendars; Leed’s; Logomark Inc.; MMI; Prime Line; SnugZ USA; and Sweda Company LLC—with others soon to complete the process.
In July 2010, the QCA Distributor Advocacy Council was created to formalize the relationship the organization has with distributors who understand the value compliance programs have in building stronger relationships with suppliers, creating competitive advantage in the marketplace and building loyalty with their end-buyer clients. In is currently comprised of 10 companies, which represent more than $700 million in annual promotional products sales.
D E (Denise) Fenton serves as executive director – compliance, and Brent Stone serves as executive director – operations.
For more information, visit www.qcalliance.org.
