Traditionally, the FLA's program to effect positive change in working conditions has consisted of monitoring to identify noncompliance with codes of conduct in factories. Four years of monitoring in thousands of factories have showed us that monitoring alone is an inadequate tool to create sustainable change in working conditions. We know now that we have to do more than simply identify problems; we have to build the capacity of factories to do compliance work on a self-sustaining basis.
FLA 3.0 leverages FLA's mulit-stakeholder partnerships to develop capacity for compliance at the factory level; it is an integrated approach to sustainable compliance that:
- pools constituent resources and increases collaboration at the company level focuses on the identification and remediation of root causes of persistent and serious non-compliances so that a more systematic approach can be applied at the supplier level
creates opportunities for local stakeholders to play an integral role in identifying priority compliance issues, providing remedial and capacity building services, and assessing progress made by suppliers.
The Charter-defined obligations of companies remain the same under FLA 3.0, as does the FLA’s responsibility for assessing and publicly reporting on the performance of those companies.
The Sustainable Compliance Project and the Soccer Project are being used to develop tools and test the methodology of FLA 3.0.
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EVENTS
FLA has been developing FLA 3.0 in a series of consultations with suppliers and local stakeholders. You can read reports from the forums below.
April 17-20, 2007
FLA 3.0 Foundation Course II
Shanghai, China
Brand compliance officers are invited to attend the course, which will be held in a factory setting in Shanghai. The course will focus on the practical implementation of the concepts presented in part I of the Foundation Course. Participation in the first Foundation Course is not a pre-requisite for participation in the second course. However, attendees should have a solid knowledge of FLA 3.0 concepts prior to attending.
View the course agenda.
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Forty field staff from FLA Participating Companies and Licensees participated in a training on the implementation of FLA 3.0. Participants discussed the theory and practice of a methodology that emphasizes root cause identification and remediation, rather than simple auditing.
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August 14-18, 2006
FLA 3.0 Foundation Course
Shenzen, China
Forty field staff from FLA Participating Companies and Licensees participated in a training on the implementation of FLA 3.0. Participants discussed the theory and practice of a methodology that emphasizes root cause identification and remediation, rather than simple auditing.
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April 10 , 2006
Local NGO Stakeholder Forum
Bangkok
FLA staff met with 24 representatives from academia, trade unions, and labor advocacy NGOs to introduce the participants to the FLA 3.0 methodology and discuss the role of local stakeholders as service providers in conducting the trainings and remediation exercises envisioned under FLA 3.0. Participants created a Monitoring Matrix for Thailand to identify country-specific compliance issues.
Read the summary report in English or Thai.
See the agenda (Thai).
March 2, 2006
Local NGO Stakeholder Forum
Hong Kong
FLA staff met with 15 representatives of academia, labor NGOs, and compliance consulting firms to introduce the participants to the FLA 3.0 methodology and discuss the role of local stakeholders as service providers in conducting the trainings and remediation exercises envisioned under FLA 3.0. Participants collaborated to identify priority noncompliance issues in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Read the summary report in English, Chinese, or Thai.
See the agenda (Chinese).
October 17 and 19, 2005
Supplier Consultation
Bangkok and Shanghai
FLA staff and consultants met with 19 suppliers and five FLA-affiliated companies to introduce participants to the methodology of the Soccer Project and address questions and concerns about the implementation of the project. The consultations were the kick-off event for the Soccer Project, which is currently being implemented in 20 factories.
Read the summary report.
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RESOURCES
PowerPoint: evolution of the FLA program (pdf)
PowerPoint: FLA 3.0 (pdf)
