In October 2019, Next Level Apparel, Gardena, Calif., was officially voted in by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) in Washington D.C. as an approved member, an achievement Next Level has had its sights set on since 2015. It’s a badge that sets the brand apart and recognizes the commitment and diligence that has been put into its social responsibility and social compliance program since the company was founded in 2003.
Companies like Next Level Apparel that join the FLA commit to 10 Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Sourcing (and/or Production) and agree to uphold the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct in their supply chain. The Code of Conduct is based on International Labor Organization (ILO) standards and seeks to protect the workers who manufacture a company’s goods. The standards aim to achieve decent and humane working conditions in global supply chains and address important subjects like nondiscrimination, forced labor, child labor, compensation, hours of work and more.
During the approval process for becoming an accredited FLA participating company affiliate, Carly Gerstman, director of corporate social responsibility for Next Level Apparel, will be working with the FLA to:
- Adopt and communicate workplace standards
- Train staff to assess and remediate noncompliance issues
- Conduct internal assessments of facilities
- Prove commitment to labor and sustainability principles in the supply chain and across the company
“Next Level Apparel strives to make a difference every day in the lives of our employees, communities and environment,” said David Lin, chief operating officer for Next Level Apparel. “As an industry leader, it is in our DNA to do the right thing when making business decisions. We are excited to work with the FLA to demonstrate our commitment to being socially responsible throughout our entire supply chain.”
This is a first step for Next Level Apparel to become an FLA accredited participating company. Next Level has made it its mission to collaborate with the FLA and fellow affiliates to improve workers’ lives worldwide. Next Level Apparel’s accreditation will be up for renewal every three years following a satisfactory FLA evaluation of labor compliance systems and activities during the timeframe.
For more information, visit www.nextlevelapparel.com or www.fairlabor.org.
