Fair Labor Principles
When a company joins the Fair Labor Association, its leadership makes a commitment to the Fair Labor Principles and agrees to uphold the Fair Labor Code in its supply chain. The Principles and Code are applied at different parts of the supply chain and work in tandem to protect laborers and improve working conditions.
FLA member companies implement the Fair Labor Principles at their company headquarters. Principles focus on the systems, frameworks, policies, and procedures a company must have in place to ensure that workers’ rights are respected in its global supply chain.
These principles are rooted in international labor standards and provide foundational guidance for companies to apply in their systems and operations. Companies develop stronger social compliance programs by aligning with these principles, and FLA member companies are assessed regularly against the principles.
Each Principle is executed by companies by upholding a number of benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs). Our manufacturing and agriculture programs have distinct Principles, benchmarks, and KPIs, recognizing the specific circumstances of both types of work.
Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Sourcing for Manufacturing
- Top Management Commitment & Workplace Standards:Â Commitment to accountability and transparency through established workplace standards.
- Responsible Purchasing Practices:Â Commitment to align planning and purchasing practices with workplace standards.
- Responsibility & Head Office Training:Â Commitment to identify and train specific staff responsible for implementing workplace standards and responsible purchasing practices and provide training to all head office and regional staff.
- Supplier Training:Â Commitment to train relevant supplier management on workplace standards and track effectiveness of supplier workforce training.
- Monitoring:Â Commitment to conduct workplace standards compliance monitoring.
- Functioning Grievance Mechanisms:Â Commitment to ensure workers have access to functioning grievance mechanisms, which include multiple reporting channels of which at least one is confidential.
- Collection & Management of Compliance Information:Â Commitment to collect, manage, and analyze workplace standards compliance information.
- Timely & Preventative Remediation:Â Commitment to work with suppliers to remediate in a timely and preventative manner.
- Consultation with Civil Society:Â Commitment to identify, research, and engage with relevant labor non-governmental organizations, trade unions, and other civil society institution
- Verification Requirements:Â Commitment to meet FLA verification and program requirements.
Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Production for Manufacturing
- Top Management Commitment & Workplace Standards:Â Commitment to accountability and transparency through established workplace standards.
- Responsible Production Practices:Â Commitment to align sales, planning, and production practices with workplace standards.
- Responsibility & Head Office Training:Â Commitment to identify and train specific staff responsible for implementing workplace standards, responsible production practices, and provide training to all head office staff.
- Production Staff Training:Â Commitment to train all management staff and employees at owned facilities on workplace standards and track effectiveness of training.
- Monitoring:Â Commitment to conduct workplace standards compliance monitoring.
- Functioning Grievance Mechanisms:Â Commitment to provide workers access to functioning grievance mechanisms, which include multiple reporting channels of which at least one is confidential.
- Collection & Management of Compliance Information:Â Commitment to collect, manage, and analyze workplace standards compliance information.
- Timely & Preventative Remediation:Â Commitment to remediate in a timely and preventative manner.
- Consultation with Civil Society:Â Commitment to identify, research, and engage with relevant labor non-governmental organizations, trade unions, and other civil society institutions.
- Verification Requirements:Â Commitment to meet FLA verification and program requirements.
Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Sourcing for Companies with Agricultural Supply Chains
1A. Top Management Commitment and Workplace Labor Standards: Participating Company is committed to accountability and transparency through established workplace standards.
1B. Risk Assessment and Traceability: Participating Company uses risk assessment to prioritize its workplace labor compliance program implementation and progressively increase supply chain traceability.
2. Responsible Sourcing and Procurement: Participating Company aligns its sourcing/procurement practices with a commitment to workplace labor standards.
3. Company Staff Training: Participating Company identifies and ensures that the specific personnel responsible for implementing labor standards (at head office and in the regions) are trained and are aware of the labor standards criteria.
4. Business Partner Training and Implementation: Participating Company obtains commitment, and drives business partner awareness of labor standards.
5. Monitoring: Participating Company conducts labor standards compliance monitoring at the farm level.
6. Functioning Grievance Mechanisms: Participating Company ensures workers, farmers, and their family members (where applicable) have access to functioning grievance mechanisms, which include multiple reporting channels of which at least one is confidential.
7. Collection and Management of Compliance Information: Participating Company collects, manages, and analyzes labor standards compliance information.
8. Timely and Preventative Remediation: Participating Company works with business partners to remediate in a timely and preventative manner.
9. Consultation with Civil Society: Participating Company identifies, researches and engages with relevant local and international labor non-governmental organizations, trade unions, and other civil society institutions.
10. Verification Requirements: Participating Company meets FLA verification and program requirements.
Principles, Benchmarks, and KPIs
Principles of Responsible Sourcing and Production for Manufacturing
