FLA celebrates its 25th anniversary during its Fall Board Convening in Istanbul, Türkiye
From October 21 – 23, 2024, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) celebrated its 25th anniversary during its Fall Board Convening in Istanbul, Türkiye. More than 130 board members, staff, and representatives of participating companies, universities, and civil society organizations gathered to celebrate the progress that has been made since 1999 and share our vision of the future of fair labor.
FLA hosted a series of activities to mark the occasion, such as visits to local factories and farms, a celebratory lunch, caucus meetings, and educational panel discussions. During the three-day event, participants learned about FLA’s latest initiatives to advance workers’ rights and exchanged best practices on improving human rights due diligence (HRDD) measures in global supply chains.
“FLA’s 25th anniversary comes at a transformational time for human rights at work. The future of fair labor depends on how we respond today to new risks for workers, such as climate change, and rapid changes in the world of business and human rights, ranging from new mandatory due diligence regimes to advances in artificial intelligence,” shared FLA President and CEO Jeff Vockrodt. “I am continuously inspired by the unwavering dedication and commitment from FLA’s community to protecting workers’ rights in supply chains worldwide. A fair labor future is only possible because of our shared accomplishments over the last 25 years.”
During the convening, FLA’s board of directors voted to award Fair Labor Accreditation to lululemon and BELLA+CANVAS. lululemon is a publicly traded technical athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories company for yoga, running, training, and most other activities, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. BELLA+CANVAS is a leader in contemporary fashion headquartered in Los Angeles, California. These decisions by the FLA board follow a rigorous, multi-year review of both companies’ business systems for compliance with international labor standards designed to protect workers in its global supply chains. The lululemon and BELLA+CANVAS accreditation reports detail FLA’s evaluations of their social compliance programs through September 2024.
Over a festive 25th anniversary lunch, FLA premiered a retrospective video highlighting key moments in the organization’s history. Panelists representing brands, workers, and student advocates then shared their vision for the future of fair labor and recommended opportunities for innovation. In opening remarks, panel moderator and Director for the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights Dr. Dorothee Baumann-Pauly shared, “FLA is very well positioned to provide a platform for meaningful stakeholder engagement…FLA has so much experience with systemic challenges that require innovations. This is key for being relevant in the future of regulation and supporting companies to move beyond mere compliance.”
FLA also hosted a series of educational sessions for attendees. In a discussion about collaborative models for working in upstream supply chains, experts weighed in on the HRDD models that companies should explore. FLA also provided training for companies on the OECD framework for HRDD legislation, incorporating aspects of FLA’s Principles and accreditation programs. The training covered steps for implementing HRDD and what suppliers should expect from brands undergoing these processes, including key risks that will be assessed.
In another panel session, representatives from the Turkish government, business, and civil society, including child rights practitioners, shared their experiences from FLA’s flagship Harvesting the Future (HTF) project. HTF works to improve working conditions and address child labor and responsible recruitment among seasonal migrant agriculture workers in Türkiye; in 2024, the program expanded to the jasmine sector in Egypt.
FLA staff moderated a panel discussion on gender responsive supply chains, featuring leaders from expert organizations like the Global Fashion Agenda. The session covered why companies must prepare for upcoming legal obligations to include gender considerations in their sustainability efforts. Gender experts shared fundamental principles and terminology and helped participants practice integrating a gender lens into their work.
Finally, board and staff members offered memorial remarks to commemorate late FLA Board Member Karen R. Daubert, who passed away in September 2024. For many years, Karen was a warm, collegial, integral part of the FLA community, and she will be deeply missed. The board also voted to approve the 2025 budget, new agriculture assessors, and new members of FLA’s agriculture committee.
FLA’s next board meeting will be held on March 11-13, 2025, in Washington, DC.