The FLA Board of Directors voted in October 2019 to reaccredit the New Balance social compliance program, confirming that the company has policies and practices in place to monitor and remediate labor abuses in its global supply chain.
New Balance will continue as one of the accredited companies in FLA’s network. New Balance earned its first FLA accreditation in 2014.
The FLA recognizes that leadership in social responsibility starts at the top of an organization, and the assessment of New Balance noted the company leadership’s commitment to protecting and upholding workplace standards.
FLA assessors reported that New Balance provides confidential reporting channels via local service providers to ensure worker grievances are received and resolved. Further, New Balance engages with local civil society organizations to examine ways to make improvements to workers’ lives.
New Balance was recognized, as well, for conducting analyses of compensation data from samples of its factory workforce in high-risk countries to identify wage gaps, which is considered an important step in driving strategic decisions and providing fair compensation to workers.