Five additional suppliers have applied to participate in the accreditation program developed by the Chicago-based Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), the promotional product industry’s only independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping companies provide safe products.
End-buyers have many factors to consider when selecting vendors to meet their promotional products needs. Compliance with legislative, social and environmental requirements is a topic of increasing concern for everyone in the supply chain.
“This trend will only continue to grow, and suppliers with the proper business practices and procedures in place to meet and/or exceed these requirements will be the companies distributors and their end-buyers choose for promotional purchases,” said Jim Hagan, president/CEO of City of Industry, California-based Sweda Company LLC, a QCA accredited supplier. Hagan continued, “QCA provides the tools required to help companies put the necessary processes in place.”
Now the QCA announced five additional suppliers have begun utilizing the QCA tools, joining the seven other suppliers that applied for the QCA accreditation program in December. The five new QCA applicants are:
- Anvil Knitwear Inc., New York
- BAG MAKERS Inc., Union, Ill.
- Cutter and Buck Inc., Seattle
- Journalbooks/Timeplanner Calendars, Charlotte, N.C.
- Majestic 360, Fort Collins, Co.
“Anvil has chosen Quality Certification Alliance as its next certification partner to demonstrate its commitment to the promotional products industry,” said Anthony Corsano, CEO and president of Anvil Knitwear Inc. Corsano added, “QCA’s focus on safety, quality, social compliance and environmental protection is completely aligned with Anvil’s responsibility platform, which is held up by three pillars: social- and environmental-responsibility, product safety and integrity.”
As applicants participating in the QCA accreditation program, each company receives a number of tools to help them in developing a compliance program. If each of the applicant companies complete the rigorous QCA accreditation process in the allotted time it receives QCA Accreditation.
“The number of suppliers attaching a high priority to product safety, quality and compliance programs is a great step forward for our industry,” said Rick Brenner, CEO of Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Prime Line, a QCA accredited supplier. Brenner continued, “The more confident end-buyers are about our product offerings, the more our industry will continue to grow and thrive. QCA has established the gold standard in these pursuits by providing an independent assessment and certification of each supplier’s supply chain processes. We welcome all of our new applicants and look forward to the day that the vast majority of suppliers pursue QCA accreditation.”
About QCA:
The Chicago-based Quality Certification Alliance is an independent accreditation organization whose mission is to elevate the standards by which suppliers 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.
The QCA was formed in July 2008 by 14 companies that import and/or manufacturer promotional products. Currently 11 companies have met the rigorous qualifications to achieve QCA accreditation—Barton Nelson Inc., BDA Inc., BroderBros., Dard Products Inc., Gemline, Gordon Sinclair, Leed’s; Logomark Inc., MMI, Prime Line. and Sweda Company. Brent Stone serves as executive director of operations.
For more information on the QCA, visit www.qcalliance.org.
