Top 40 supplier Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) has become an approved member of the Washington, DC-based Fair Labor Association (FLA).

As an accredited member of the FLA, Next Level has committed to upholding both the FLA’s Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Sourcing and Principles of Fair Labor and Responsible Production, including workplace standards, supplier training and grievance mechanisms, at all of its locations and at the manufacturers with which it does business.

In addition, the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct, based on International Labor Organization standards, lays out labor principles expected of all members to create and foster more humane working conditions. The Code safeguards workers’ labor rights, including prohibiting discrimination, harassment and forced labor, as well as recognizing workers’ right to bargain collectively.

We have made it part of our company mission to collaborate with the FLA and fellow affiliates to improve workers lives worldwide. We are looking forward to our FLA journey and taking it to the Next Level! pic.twitter.com/TC1reWXrnZ

— Next Level Apparel (@NextLevelTees) October 23, 2019

“Next Level Apparel strives to make a difference every day in the lives of our employees, communities and environment,” said Next Level Chief Operating Officer David Lin, in a statement. “As an industry leader, it’s in our DNA to do the right thing when making business decisions. We’re excited to work with the FLA to demonstrate our commitment to being socially responsible throughout our entire supply chain.”

Carly Gerstman, Next Level’s director of corporate social responsibility, will now work directly with the FLA to adopt and communicate FLA’s standards, train Next Level staff to address non-compliance, conduct assessments of facilities and demonstrate commitment to the FLA standards within the supply chain and the supplier itself.

Next Level’s accreditation will be renewed every three years after a satisfactory evaluation by the FLA.

The approval is the latest in Next Level’s corporate social responsibility efforts; with warehouses in Gardena, CA, and Ashford, AL, along with a wide domestic and international distribution network, the company also follows all Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) testing standards and works with factories that are Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) certified.

With $209.5 million in 2018 sales revenue, Next Level is ranked eighth on Counselor’s most recent list of the 40 largest suppliers in the industry.