Fair Labor Accreditation

Fair Labor Accreditation is a rigorous, multi-year process that evaluates companies’ systems to protect workers throughout global supply chains. It is at the core of FLA’s work with manufacturing and agriculture companies.

An international standard for labor rights

Fair Labor Accreditation helps investors and consumers make informed choices by showing that a company is actively fulfilling the highest standards in labor rights.

It is the only comprehensive program of its kind that is based on international standards and frameworks such as the International Labour Organization, UN Guiding Principles, the OECD, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Fair Labor Accreditation starts at a company’s headquarters and follows its global supply chain to ensure that the brands you know have policies and systems in place to support their workers.

More than 30 companies currently maintain FLA Accreditation.
Fast Retailing logo; bright red text
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  • Fast Retailing logo; bright red text
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Promoting systemic change can begin by becoming affiliated/accredited with Fair Labor Association (FLA) and adhering to its Principles.
Scaling ESG Solutions in Fashion report
April 5, 2022

A comprehensive process to protect workers’ rights

FLA offers two evaluation programs for companies committed to improving working conditions in different tiers of its supply chain, including farms and factories. Each program has a distinct timeline based on the scope of FLA’s evaluation.

Fair Labor Accreditation signifies that a company has effective systems in place that protect workers in their global supply chain. Our goal is to prevent abuses, ensure sustainable compliance, and remediate violations of FLA’s internationally respected standards.

First, companies must report on the foundational elements of their social compliance program, including systems, procedures, strategies, and tools to address and improve working conditions within certain tiers of their supply chains. FLA verifies submitted documents on an annual basis, providing feedback and recommendations. 

FLA staff and assessors observe and evaluate a company’s actions in its supply chain, traveling to countries where they source inputs and visiting factories and farms that produce many of the goods that consumers see and use every day. FLA verifies practices against the FLA Fair Labor Code. Companies work toward a series of milestones, which mark progress in implementing, monitoring, and remediating workplace standards based on FLA’s Fair Labor Practices.

Throughout the process, FLA engages with stakeholders at headquarters and within supply chains to assess how the company is improving its protocols and processes based on FLA’s Fair Labor Practices. Evaluation includes how companies can better monitor and address issues like nondiscrimination, harassment or abuse, forced labor, child labor, freedom of association and collective bargaining, health, safety and environment, hours of work, and fair compensation.

As companies progress in their respective accreditation journeys, FLA reports findings publicly and provides ongoing analysis and feedback to companies. The result is a continuous improvement process for socially responsible corporations committed to protecting workers and improving working conditions.

Throughout the evaluation process and after a company receives the FLA Accreditation designation, FLA provides a third-party complaint system for workers, unions, civil society, and others to report workplace issues. The company’s response to any relevant complaints is evaluated when considering the company for Fair Labor Accreditation. 

View assessment reports

View Accreditation assessments

Accreditation assessments

View Agriculture assessments

Agriculture assessments

View Manufacturing assessments

Manufacturing assessments