Universities

The WRC monitors compliance with universities’ manufacturing Codes of Conduct, which protect the basic rights of these workers.

Since our founding, we have been led by the goal of supporting universities with the enforcement of binding labor standards to protect workers producing apparel and other goods bearing university logos.  Today, we remain the only independent monitor of the production of university-logo goods in factories around the world. 

We conduct independent in-depth investigations into working conditions in factories around the globe on behalf of our university affiliates. Universities use the information provided by the WRC to help protect the rights of workers producing logo apparel and manage the risks of international licensed apparel manufacturing.

The WRC’s unique founding story meant we supported universities in implementing the first binding and enforceable labor standards in contemporary manufacturing supply chains. There are hundreds of licensee brands now bound by these standards, including leading brands such as Nike and Adidas, and over a thousand factories covered. 

Why do colleges and universities affiliate with the WRC? 

• Send a strong message to the students, faculty, and other stakeholders that the university is committed to protecting the rights of the workers who produce its logo apparel 
• Accurate, thorough, timely, and impartial assessments of conditions in factories that produce collegiate apparel and other logo goods – including specific assessments of compliance with university codes of conduct 
• Research on important apparel industry dynamics that affect conditions in factories that produce collegiate goods  
• Opportunities to work in concert with other university affiliates to address problems at supplier factories and improve conditions 
• Access to in-depth consultation with the WRC staff, Advisory Council, and other international experts 
• The opportunity to help shape the field of university supply chain compliance by serving on the WRC Governing Board and participating in the WRC University Caucus. 
• Opportunities to connect directly with workers and local civil society in communities where goods are produced 

For more information on affiliation, or to ask any questions about your college or university’s membership in the WRC, write to us at affiliate@workersrights.org.