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WRAP Certification: Would Your Company Pass?

Product recall, sweatshops, waning consumer confidence…these are just are few of the phrases that are gracing our media outlets on a daily basis. All manufacturers are accountable for their global production practices to consumers, retailers, governments, and others. Several organizations are dedicated to setting manufacturing standards, particularly regarding human rights. WRAP is unique among apparently similar organizations because it combines all of the following important attributes: market-driven, commands high standards, independent from the industry, factory-based, eliminates duplication, and yields results

The Hosiery Association (THA) is working with Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production ® WRAP to offer educational sessions in Fort Payne, AL and Hickory, NC on October 3 and November 15 respectively. The objective of the Apparel Certification Program is to independently monitor and certify compliance with standards, ensuring that a given factory produces sewn goods under lawful, humane, and ethical conditions. WRAP monitors the factory for compliance with detailed practices and procedures implied by adherence to these standards.

The Board of Directors for Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production® (WRAP) recently announced a change in the name of the organization to Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production. The name change reflects the organization’s increasing involvement with diverse industries as they seek to certify ethical working conditions in labor-intensive manufacturing facilities around the world. “Having worked extensively with the labor-intensive manufacturing sector in some 70 countries around the world, WRAP is in an unparalleled position to expand beyond its historical roots in apparel,” said Steve Jesseph, WRAP’s President and CEO. “We have deep experience in addressing the differences and commonalities in production practices, and know that we can make a positive difference by monitoring and certifying factories to ensure adherence to clear requirements.”
WRAP’s expanded mission comes in response to the challenges facing brands and retailers that have been licensing their name for non-apparel products. They have described numerous difficulties in maintaining high standards for legal, humane and ethical production processes across various new sectors.

Three years ago, WRAP® developed the Universal Code of Ethical ConductTM (UCECTM), a variation of the WRAP® Apparel Code that can be adapted to all manufacturing sectors. “Most manufacturing today involves conversion of raw materials, but the functional areas of purchasing, shipping and receiving, human resources, production planning and quality control are virtually the same,” said Jesseph. “We’ve found that the management systems and code areas for the apparel sector are directly applicable to virtually any other product – whether it is furniture, housewares, glass, plastic, electrical appliances, packaging or automotive parts.”

The expanded program will include industry-specific training, monitoring and certification programs designed around the UCEC. With this strategic expansion, the WRAP acronym, which has come to stand for social compliance in apparel, will now stand for social compliance in any labor intensive production process.
While WRAP will begin to certify factories in other industries under the UCEC insignia, it will continue the certification process for apparel, footwear and textile factories under the WRAP Apparel logo.

Please note that there is no fee for members to attend these sessions. Please contact Jon Shugart at (256)845-1251 or email jshugart@wyshugart.com if you would like to attend the October 3 session in Fort Payne or contact Sally Kay at (704)365-013, ext. 212 or email sally.kay@hosieryassociation.com if you would like to attend the November 15 session in Hickory, NC.