Lapine Inc., an award-winning merchandise agency focused on building brands through creative merchandise solutions, recently announced it’s become a member of the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA) Distributor Advocacy Council.
The QCA Distributor Advocacy Council is a group of industry leaders committed to growing the relationships between merchandise agencies and suppliers to ensure product safety, quality assurance and social compliance are addressed throughout the supply chain. The Council is an extension of the QCA’s supplier certification program, where merchandise suppliers are deemed QCA-certified by passing a number of third-party tests and inspections focused on the organization’s product safety and compliance standards.
As a member of the QCA Distributor Advocacy Council, Lapine continues to increase its dedication to providing merchandise that is safe, passes all Federal regulations, and that is created under humane working conditions.
“Social compliance and quality control are not about maintaining the status quo, but about constantly reevaluating how we can increase product safety standards to better protect clients’ brands,” said Noah Lapine, president of Lapine Inc. “Through the QCA Distributor Advocacy Council, we now have the opportunity to not only help educate others on these standards, but to help enact policies that ensure we deliver products that meet the highest quality and compliance standards available.”
By working with QCA, Lapine has recognized QCA as the industry standard for product safety and compliance, and has committed to promoting education on the various aspects of compliance. The company also looks forward to collaborating with distributors and suppliers to develop new, safer product standards.
“Developing and enacting successful compliance programs take a village. That is why QCA isn’t just about the suppliers, but the distributors and clients who work with them,” said Brent Stone, executive director, operations for QCA. “We are excited to welcome Lapine into the conversation and believe their commitment to quality and education will be invaluable assets as we continue to pave the way for quality control within the promotional products industry.”
The QCA Distributor Advocacy Council was formed in May 2012 to formalize the relationships surrounding QCA suppliers and distributors. To date, QCA has over $3 billion of support within the $16 billion promotional products industry, with $1 billion of support coming directly from distributors.
About the QCA
Chicago-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.
For more information, visit www.qcalliance.org.
About Lapine Inc.
Lapine Inc. is an award-winning merchandise agency focused on building brands through creative merchandise solutions. Founded in 1962 by David S. Lapine, Lapine is a family-owned business and one of the fastest-growing merchandise agencies in the U.S. Lapine’s expertise spans the entire merchandise process, including creative services, global procurement, supply chain management, technology, merchandise and supplier responsibility. Lapine is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. and serves customers around the globe, including some of the biggest names in the Fortune 500.
For more information, visit www.lapineinc.com.
