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An embroidery room at a hardgoods factory we’ve been working with for almost 20 years. Taken by Nicholas Lagopoulos, our Production Coordinator, on a recent factory visit to Vietnam.
Our goal is to make quality products for the outdoors. And a quality product is made in a way that respects the people who manufacture it.
It’s one thing to say this. It’s another to build a social compliance program, embed it in an organization, and then ask for it to be regularly monitored by an independent watchdog. But that’s exactly what we’ve done. This fall, our program received accreditation by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), an independent organization that sets out stringent standards and best practices for companies’ fair labour programs to adhere to.
Only 20 of the FLA’s 104 members – made up of universities, civil society organizations, and companies – have achieved accreditation. And as the only Canadian co-operative retailer on that list, we’re proud to be part of this socially conscious collective.
“Ultimately, the strength of our program is a result of great decisions being made by our current CEO, David Labistour, and many leaders before him. They built sustainability into the way we do business, part of our everyday operations rather than something enforced by a policy,” commented Naomi Ozaki, MEC’s Chief Sourcing and Production Officer.
Accreditation is not the end goal
Our Buying and Design department initiated the factory audit program in 2005. Led by Naomi and Carol Petroski, then-Merchandise Manager (and current Director of Inventory and Logistics), we joined the FLA that same year and have been working towards accreditation ever since.
“Having our program accredited is a wonderful accomplishment and the result of perseverance, hard work, and continued improvement to our program,” says Naomi, whose Production department has taken responsibility for all factory audits and our social compliance program. “But it does not indicate a stopping point. It’s not a summit we were attempting to reach and now that we have, we sit back and rest on our laurels.”
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
Samantha Kuchmak, Assistant Manager of Social Compliance, has this to say about the work her team faces: “Being accredited is not the FLA saying that our program is perfect. If anything, this accreditation heightens our diligence and the standard at which we need to operate. As part of the accreditation process, the FLA identifies program areas they want to see improved, and provides us with the tools and resources to make that progress happen.”
And accredited status is not a one-time thing. “Future accreditations need to be applied for, just as we applied the first time,” says Samantha. “Knowing that our program will be under constant scrutiny requires us to be diligent in upholding our standards, and making sure our program continually improves.”
The sewing floor of the same factory that Nicholas was visiting, where our Ibex and Brio packs are produced.
What FLA accreditation means
- For Members
We closely monitor our factories’ compliance to our program because we believe that suppliers who are committed to improving their social and environmental practices will also produce top quality gear. We’re proud to offer MEC members products that have been sourced and made in accordance with MEC’s values, so that they can feel confident about their purchasing decisions.
- For Factory Workers
Improving the lives of workers in MEC-brand contract factories is at the core of what we hope to achieve through our Code of Conduct. Our factory audits give us better insight and understanding of the issues that exist in our brand-contract factories. When we know these, we’re able to support these factories with training and tools that will help them evolve past just basic compliance to a place of self-governance, where they’re able to manage their own program and identify the root causes of their own issues. Ultimately, our goal is for people who make MEC goods to work in a safe, healthy and fair workplace, to understand their rights, and to be able to freely choose how much to work.
- For the Global Community
MEC is also committed to influencing our brand partners to implement the same practices in their supply chains. The more brands that support responsible sourcing, the more it becomes the norm, not the exception, to do business this way. A benefit to FLA membership is that we have the opportunity to be inspired by the practices of other accredited companies and work collaboratively with these brands to improve conditions in the supply chain.
- For MEC
Accreditation means that our program is basically under consistent scrutiny. FLA staff members visit our Head Office to review our social compliance program, independently assess a random sample of our suppliers each year, and often accompany our Social Compliance team when they visit suppliers. The FLA checks our fair labour practices to ensure we are upholding our Code of Conduct, and they monitor our monitoring to make sure we’re auditing and working with our suppliers to improve their practices. Most importantly, the FLA observes our buying and sourcing practices to ensure we’re accountable, transparent and meeting our commitments to the people who make our gear and the members who bring it home.
Find our more about MEC’s approach to sustainability, and see how we measured up in our 2012 Accountability Report.