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Patagonia - FLA Independent External Monitoring in Patagonia's Applicable Facilities
A. An Introduction to FLA Independent External Monitoring
FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) is one way that the FLA verifies Participating Companies’ compliance activities in the factories where they produce. The FLA conducts unannounced independent external monitoring visits in approximately 5% of all Participating Company applicable facilities that are deemed to be high risk (and no less than 3.5% of the company’s total factory list), and reports on all noncompliance findings in those factories. By observing these monitoring reports and the company’s ensuing remediation, the FLA can verify a company’s progress in developing systems for effective prevention and remediation of noncompliance issues each year. The FLA tracking charts provide detailed information about monitoring findings and Patagonia’s approach to remediation of noncompliance issues.
B. Summary of FLA Year Two Independent External Monitoring in Patagonia's Applicable Facilities
The following table provides information about FLA independent monitoring visits undertaken in Patagonia applicable facilities in Year Two. It provides background information about the factories, the monitors, and their visits.
| Patagonia Independent External Monitoring (IEM) Summary - Year Two |
Number of IEMs in Year Two:
Remediation shared with other FLA Companies:
Remediation undertaken independently:
| 3
2
1
|
| Total person days spent monitoring facilities: |
20 |
| Average person days per facility: |
7 |
| Average number of workers per independently monitored facility: |
1,314 |
| Regions |
Independent External Monitoring Visits |
FLA-Accredited Monitors Conducting Visits |
| Southeast Asia--Malaysia, Thailand |
2 |
Kenan Institute Asia (2) |
| Americas-- USA |
1 |
Cotecna (1) |
C. Independent External Monitoring Results
Chart: Patagonia Noncompliance Issues Grouped by Code Provision*
Number of IEMs = 3
Please note: This pie chart provides a very cursory overview of noncompliance issues organized by FLA Code Provision. Click on any Code Provision name in the legend for a list of FLA Benchmarks that are used to measure compliance with that Provision. A more detailed explanation of these issues follows in the sections following the pie chart.
* Please visit the FLA tracking charts to learn more about Patagonia's approach to remediation of all of the issues summarized here.
Click here to learn how the FLA collects the data that is illustrated in this chart.
The figure above displays the percentage breakdown by Code element of the total non-compliance issues reported by FLA independent monitors who visited 3 Patagonia facilities. Patagonia took action to remediate these issues in Year Two. Non-compliance findings with regard to Health and Safety were the most frequently reported issues, making up 50% of the total non-compliance issues identified1. The most commonly reported and remediated Health and Safety issues related to document maintenance and accessibility, safety equipment, personal protective equipment, and chemical management.
Issues related to Hours and Wages were also common, with a total of 28% of all findings relating to Wages and Benefits (21%) and Hours of Work (7%). The top Hours and Wages issue that was reported by FLA monitors and taken up by Patagonia through corrective action plans was related to worker awareness of their wages and benefits.
Other Code elements were reported by FLA monitors with less frequency. As discussed in previous sections, the FLA is working to develop systems for more effective monitoring and remediation of the Code elements that are particularly complex and difficult to assess, such as Nondiscrimination, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, and Harassment and Abuse.
Although 4% of findings were categorized as Forced Labor, it is worth noting that there were no findings of forced or bonded labor in facilities producing for Patagonia. Those noncompliance issues related to other Forced Labor benchmarks. Please follow the links in the graph above to learn more about the benchmarks for this and other FLA Code provisions, and visit the FLA factory tracking charts to learn more about Patagonia's approach to remediating all of the non-compliance issues mentioned above.
Click here to review the FLA's aggregate findings from visits to factories producing for 25 Participating Companies and Category B Licensees.
1Health and safety are often the most evident and measurable noncompliance issues in many facilities worldwide, and therefore figure very highly in the total number of findings.
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