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Supply Chain Innovation

New Balance Athletics, Inc.

New Balance, PF Flyers, Warrior, and Brine. New Balance Athletics, Inc.'s compliance program is accredited by the FLA.

From the New Balance Athletics, Inc. website: The Supplier Code of Conduct defines our minimum expectations. We expect our suppliers to ensure that no exploitative conditions or unsafe working conditions exist at the facilities where our merchandise is manufactured. This Code of Conduct expresses the commitment of New Balance Athletics, Inc. to do business only with those manufacturers and suppliers that share its commitment to fair and safe labor practices.

FLA Affiliates Respond to COVID-19
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) expects its affiliates to account for the impact of business decisions on workers in their global supply chains. The FLA recognizes that during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies of all sizes face challenges and difficult choices that will affect many – including the most vulnerable workers. Based on the extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19 and with the well-being of workers as a priority, the FLA on April 6 issued a series of recommendations based on the application of FLA principles during the pandemic. The FLA’s Principles of Fair Labor...
Joint Letter on Labor Rights to Cambodian Prime Minister
Twenty-three companies and civil society organizations jointly signed a letter to urge the government of Cambodia to take specific, concrete, and time-bound steps to bring Cambodia in line with international labor standards. The letter details requests that Cambodia amend its Trade Union Law, repeal the Law of Associations and NGOs, drop all outstanding criminal charges against union leaders, and respect and foster the role of the Arbitration Council. Specifically, the letter calls on the Cambodian government to: Amend the Trade Union Law. The amendments promulgated on January 3...
21 Companies Sourcing From Cambodia Express Concerns About Labor and Human Rights
Twenty-one major U.S., Canadian, European, and Hong Kong brands joined to call on Cambodia's prime minister to respond to concerns raised through multiple channels with government leaders. In a May 2, 2019 letter the companies expressed their growing concern regarding the labor and human rights situation in Cambodia, which threatens trade preferences for Cambodia. The European Union’s February 11 decision to review Cambodia’s Everything But Arms benefits, and recently introduced legislation in the U.S. Congress to review Cambodia’s Generalized System of Preferences...
Fair Labor Association Welcomes Three Board Members
WASHINGTON, DC – The Fair Labor Association, a joint effort of universities, civil society organizations and socially responsible companies dedicated to protecting workers’ rights around the world, announced today the appointment of three new members to its board of directors.  Each new member will represent a sector of the organization’s membership. The new members include a former child worker form Bangladesh, the retail and licensing expert at California State University, Long Beach, and the head of traceability for outdoor brand Patagonia. “The strength...
Fair Labor Association Reaccredits New Balance's Social Compliance Program
WASHINGTON, DC – The Fair Labor Association (FLA) announced today the reaccreditation of 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, which includes Adidas, Hanes, Nike, and Patagonia. New Balance earned its first FLA-accreditation in 2014. The company’s 2018 re-accreditation report is published here. The FLA accreditation program is considered the gold standard for a...

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Wells Apparel Nicaragua Final Remediation Report

On July 20, 2020, the Fair Labor Association (“FLA”) initiated a Third Party Complaint concerning the factory Wells Apparel Nicaragua (“the factory”) based on the allegations filed by a former board member of the Luis Alonso Velasquez union. At the time the FLA accepted the complaint, it confirmed that FLA Participating Company Amer Sports was sourcing from the factory. 

Wells Apparel Nicaragua Final Investigation Report

On June 30, 2020, Participating Company Amer Sports contacted the Fair Labor Association to communicate that it had received a complaint from a board member of the union at the factory Wells Apparel Nicaragua, from which the company sources products. The complaint alleged that (1) factory management had dismissed six union board members, who were entitled to fuero sindical protection, without complying with legal requirements; and (2) there was a potential risk that an additional union official currently under maternity leave would also be unlawfully dismissed.

New Balance Athletics, Inc. Assessment for Reaccreditation

The FLA board of directors approved the reaccreditation of the New Balance labor compliance program in October 2018. This report reviews the company's changes and improvements since its 2014 accreditation and its reaccreditation assessment by the Fair Labor Association.

The FLA and Four Affiliated Companies Call for Meaningful Minimum Wage in Georgia

As explained by this FLA issue brief the never-increased 90s-era monthly minimum wage of 20 lari (around $8.50) for private sector workers in Georgia is grossly insufficient to maintain a decent standard of living in that country.  The Clean Clothes Campaign estimates that a living wage for a family of four is nearly 65 times that amount, while the US State Departmen

Social Benefit Verification at Factories Operated by Pou Chen

In April of 2014, workers at the Pou Chen Group, a Participating Supplier with the FLA, went on strike in Gaobu, Dongguan, China, protesting that Pou Chen was not making the contributions for social insurance and housing benfits employers are required to pay under Chinese national law.

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