FLA welcomes members and affiliates to Washington for education and networking opportunities 

From March 11-13, 2025, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) hosted its March Board Convening in the heart of Washington, DC. More than 100 board members, staff, and representatives from participating companies, universities, and civil society organizations (CSOs) gathered for three days of education, networking, and more. Attendees learned about FLA’s latest efforts to advance workers’ rights worldwide and exchanged best practices with fellow social compliance and human rights professionals.  

The board meeting came at a time of significant upheaval and challenges for our stakeholders, notably with recent decisions by the U.S. to cut international program funding and implement tariffs and proposed changes to the EU’s due diligence legislation. Board meeting attendees shared valuable insights on these new developments and resources for organizations to continue their commitments to protecting workers in global supply chains moving forward. 

FLA’s President and CEO Jeff Vockrodt stated, “With all the uncertainty around us, FLA’s role as a source of both stability and innovative leadership is more important than ever. Everything we are doing, and everywhere we are investing to strengthen existing programs and develop new ones, is designed both to support implementation of mandatory due diligence and maximize impact, advancing effective human rights due diligence, no matter what the regulatory environment looks like.” 

During the Open Board Meeting, board members voted to confirm committee seats for FLA’s Agriculture Committee, Communications Committee, Executive Committee, and Manufacturing Committee; they also recognized both new and departing board members. The board voted to continue the Single-Factory Supplier Pilot, which provides training, tools, resources for affiliates to help build a sustainable social compliance program. FLA staff announced the Eric Biel Fellow for 2025, and reported on several recent accomplishments, including the development of new Milestone 1 progress reports for agriculture member companies, successes from FLA’s Harvesting the Future initiative, new guidance documents and resources, and more. 

Over the course of the event, FLA hosted a series of educational sessions for attendees. In a panel, Labor in the Spotlight, with special guest Jasmin Malik Chua from Sourcing Journal, panelists shared best practices on engaging with the media and general public. 

In another session, Change is Constant: Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) in 2025, FLA hosted speakers to discuss 2025 trends in HRDD, proposed changes to the CSDDD and impact of the EU’s Omnibus legislation, and how organizations can integrate responsible purchasing practices into their work, among other topics. 

FLA experts held a dedicated training on Principle 9: Civil Society Engagement. Speakers described effective CSO engagement and explored expectations and needs from CSOs. Following the training, attendees engaged in lively group discussions to brainstorm challenges and solutions around CSO engagement. 

FLA’s Board Chair Michael Posner held a book talk on his new book, Conscience Incorporated. He discussed the history and benefits of FLA’s multi-stakeholder (MSI) initiative structure that brings together companies, universities, and CSOs; how FLA’s standards were developed; why supporting workers has benefits for companies, and more. 

Finally, staff held an educational session, Supporting Due Diligence in Supply Chains. Experts discussed FLA’s work in upstream supply chains, including recent projects and tools. They also facilitated live polls and discussions with audience members about their needs, challenges, and goals regarding supply chain traceability and social compliance throughout Tiers 1-4. 

FLA’s next board meeting will be held virtually on July 16, 2025. 

For more photos, check out our Flickr gallery for the event.