In a pledge to help improve working conditions in factories worldwide, swimwear brand Arena has announced its affiliation with the Fair Labor Association.
With the aim of ending sweatshop labour and protecting workers’ rights, the FLA was incorporated as a non-profit organisation in 1999, and today counts some of the world’s leading sportswear and clothing brands, including adidas, Asics, Nike, Puma and H&M, as participating companies.
As a participating company, Arena has committed to align its compliance with the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct, along with its monitoring, remediation and verification processes.
Other FLA principles that Arena has embraced include collaboration between various levels of the supply industry and consumer markets, a commitment to innovation and sustainable strategies, and transparency in the reporting procedure.
“Our affiliation with the FLA is very important to us,” says Enrico di Lauro, Arena’s sourcing and quality control director.
“It represents a further step forward in our corporate responsibility, which we take very seriously.
“It is therefore very satisfying for Arena to be affiliated with such an established programme that focuses its attention not only on product quality and safety, but also on the production facility itself.
“With production facilities in various countries around the world, we feel duty bound to make sure that all workers in those facilities are treated fairly, and our participation in the FLA formalises our undertaking to meet this goal.
“We look forward to implementing the FLA’s codes and procedures and to collaborating with the organisation and its agents to work towards an equitable global workplace that offers positive experience and opportunity for all.”
