In 1996, President Clinton convened a meeting of multinational companies and NGOs at the White House and challenged them to work together to improve working conditions in the apparel and footwear industries. This group became the Fair Labor Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization incorporated in 1999. 

Today, FLA is a collaborative effort of universities, civil society organizations and socially responsible companies dedicated to protecting workers’ rights around the world. The work is not limited to any geographic region or industry; they operate around the world and are making a positive difference in industries from agriculture and technology to apparel and footwear.

FLA places the onus on companies to voluntarily meet internationally recognized labor standards wherever their products are made. They offer:

• A collaborative approach allowing civil society organizations, universities and socially responsible companies to sit at the same table and find effective solutions to labor issues;
• Innovative and sustainable strategies and resources to help companies improve compliance systems;
• Transparent and independent assessments, the results of which are published online; and
• A mechanism to address the most serious labor rights violations through the Third Party Complaint process.