FAIR LABOR SOLUTIONS
AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Paul Falsone, Emma Goethe, Kate Hartland, Ali LoPiccolo, Grace Whitler, Asya Vo
Master's in Sustainability Solutions
May 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
2-3
4
5-6
7-10
11-12

Fair Labor Team and Acknowledgements
Global and Local Perspective
Current Third-Party Verifiers
Purchasing at ASU
Case Studies
Key Takeaways

13

Vision Introduction

14

United Nations SDG's & Framework

15-18

Pragmatic Vision

19-21

Meet in the Middle Vision

22-24

Transformational Vision

25
26-27

Student Movement
References

PAGE 1

FAIR LABOR SOLUTIONS TEAM

Paul Falsone

Emma Goethe

Kate Hartland

Ali LoPiccolo

Asya Vo

Grace Whitler

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to extend heartfelt gratitude, appreciation, and thanks to everyone that contributed
in any way. The completion of this project would not be possible without their insights and
contribution. Specifically, we would like to thank our project partner Monica Middendorf, the
Trademark Licensing Program Manager at Arizona State University. This collaboration has been very
insightful and allowed us to put our sustainability and project management skills to the test.
Additionally, our project was highly reliant on gathering information from subject matter experts.
Over the past year, we employed an interview methodology in order for our team to enhance our
knowledge and develop informed suggestions. Below are all of the subject matter experts that
helped us along the way. Sincerely, thank you. We appreciate all of the knowledge you shared.
George Basile - Professor of Practice, School of Sustainability - ASU
Scott Cloutier - Assistant Professor, School of Sustainability - ASU
Kathrine Bissell Cordova - Executive Director - Chicago Fairtrade
Kevin Dooley - Professor, W. P. Carey School of Business - ASU
Rene Edde - Senior Partnership Manager - Flash Food
Liz Kennedy - Director, Ethical Labor and Sustainability - UCLA
Kylie Nealis - Senior Manager of Fair Trade Campaigns & Consumer Marketing - Fair Trade USA
Stephanie Pfirman - Professor, School of Sustainability - ASU
Pavithra Ram - Impact Navigator - Tony's Chocolonely
Jackson Schiefelbein - Collegiate Changemaker - Tony’s Chocolonely
Casey Shillito - Director, Corporate Sustainability - Collegiate Licensing Company
Sapna Thottathill - Associate Director of Sustainability - University of California
Danielle Van Vleet - Manager, Sustainability and Diversity Programs - ASU
Bennett Wetch - Senior Director, Sustainability Analytics - Nike

PAGE 2

GLOBAL LANDSCAPE
Fair Labor
Fair labor is voluntary, requires fair compensation, and is free from penalty. These standards are
used to identify and combat forced labor, which is work that is involuntary and subject to
penalty (ILO, 2012). The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that nearly 25 million
people were victims of forced labor across the world in 2016 (ILO, 2016). Although legislation
exists to prevent forced labor in the U.S. supply chain, the country still significantly profits off
the activity due to the complexity of the global supply chain and disjointed nature of
international laws and regulations.

Global Supply Chains
In December of 2021, the New York Times reported that “the highly intricate and
interconnected global supply chain is in upheaval, with little end in sight.” (Gaimo et al., 2021).
Covid-19 continues to cause massive supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine only
perpetuates this. While these can be viewed as short-term issues, climate change is a long-term
problem that requires major system redesign in order to overcome. The number one climate
issue that will harm supply chains in the long-term? Sea-level rise. Experts say that “even now,
years before sea level rise begins inundating ports and other coastal infrastructure, supply chain
disruptions caused by hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other forms of increasingly extreme
weather are jolting the global economy.” (Leslie, 2022).

Wellbeing
Wellbeing and happiness are incredibly important aspects of daily human life, yet are often left
out of conversations about sustainability. Experts propose that “environmentally compromising
behavior stems from a disconnection from our spiritual dimension,” and suggest including
spiritual well-being in sustainability science (Berejnoi et al., 2020). Popular movements such as
minimalism and tiny house living show a desire for a different lifestyle, one with less emphasis
on material possessions and more on quality of life.

PAGE 3

ASU'S IMPACT
1 License

39 Suppliers

9 Countries

26 Products

55,480 Workers
Adidas is one of ASU's largest verified suppliers. The location points
highlighted on the map above indicate the nine countries where Adidas
has manufacturers.

In 2018, ASU President Michael Crow made a
commitment to being the largest fair trade
university
in
the
United
States
by
“integrating justice, equity, diversity, and
inclusion
principles”
into
purchasing
practices (Sustainability Goals and Vision,
2021). In order to achieve this commitment,
the university must ensure all of its
purchases support fair labor practices.
Understanding ASU's current procurement
policies and processes are essential to
ensuring fair labor is practiced throughout
the university's supply chains. Three main
sources govern the university's procurement
procedures: the Arizona Board of Regents
Policy Manual, University Policy, and the
Code of Federal regulations (ASU, 2020).
More information on these sources can be
found here.

ASU requires all licensed contractors to
maintain fair labor working conditions.
Failure to comply with these requirements
will lead to license termination with ASU.
Licensed products are any product with an
ASU logo, trademarks, or trade-names. All
other products that do not have an ASU logo
are considered non-licensed and are not
subject to these fair labor standards. In the
fiscal year 2021, 310 out of the 1,262 active
suppliers were FLA certified. This equates to
about 25% of active suppliers, which we feel
is insufficient.
As one of the largest universities in the
United States, ASU's supply chain can have a
large influence on labor practices and thus,
the well-being of people around the world.
The graphic above illustrates the extensive
system of Adidas, one of ASU's largest FLA
verified suppliers. Imagine the impact that
the university has by purchasing from all its
1,262 active suppliers.

PAGE 4

CURRENT THIRD-PARTY VERIFIERS
Fair Labor Association (FLA)
The FLA helps stakeholders prevent and address labor rights violations
through a collaborative approach with civil society organizations, universities,
and socially responsible companies. They have the means to provide tools to
collaborators such as training courses, independent assessments, and
advocation. The FLA can use data from the CLC to help ASU better understand
and improve the university's fair labor verification process.

Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC)
ASU currently uses a third-party verification process through the Collegiate
Licensing Company (CLC) to ensure licensed products are produced in ways
that abide by fair labor standards. Members of the CLC have access to a
dashboard that shows the percentage of compliant licensees and specifics of
where items are sourced and by whom.

Workers Rights Consortium (WRC)
The Workers Rights Consortium is an independent organization that monitors
labor rights. While the FLA sets standards and the CLC presents assessment
information, the WRC investigates reports of non-compliance. The WRC's
"purpose is to document and combat sweatshop conditions; identify and expose
the practices of global brands and retailers that perpetuate labor rights abuses;
and protect the rights of workers who make apparel and other products."

PAGE 5

PURCHASING AT ASU
LICENSED PRODUCTS
Licensed products are all products
with any kind of Arizona State
University logo or name on it.
In 2021, the top 10 licensed
category purchases amounted
to 659,916 units.
All purchases are done through
CLC verified companies.
The FLA verifies the CLC.
Fair labor is a required component
of all of the companies that are
verified.

ACTIVE SUPPLIERS
Active suppliers are companies that
Arizona State University has previously
purchased $100k or more from. These
suppliers are preferred by ASU buyers
because they are pre-approved by the
procurement department.

NON-LICENSED PRODUCTS
Non-licensed products are products
that do not have any logo or name
associated with ASU.
These products can be sourced from
any vendor with varying approval
from the university.
There are very few limitations
regarding the standards these
vendors have to follow.
A code of conduct is given to
suppliers we spend $100k+ with, that
have basic university guidelines;
however, the code does not have
solid guidelines yet.

TYPES OF PURCHASING
P card
A debit card with few restrictions.
Anyone who has one can use it.
SKUs/Categories are blocked, such
as weapons or alcohol.
Purchase Order (PO) 25-100k
Two or more quotes are required
and the university approves the final
one. Small Businesses and active
suppliers are preferred.
Purchase Order (PO) 10-25k
Small businesses and active
suppliers preferred.
Request for Proposal (RFP) 100k
Ask companies to bid for the spot of
business. Active contracts are
preferred for streamlined
purchasing.

PAGE 6

ASU PURCHASING DIAGRAM

PAGE 7

CASE
STUDIES
1. University of California
System

2. Tony's Chocolonely

3. FABRIC

PAGE 8

CASE STUDY

UC SYSTEM

MEET THE UNIVERSITY
The University of California system (UC) includes 10
campuses, 5 medical centers, 3 national laboratories,
more than 280,000 students and more than 227,000
faculty and staff. UC is governed by a 26-member
Board of Regents that exercises approval over
university policies, financial affairs, tuition and fees.
(About UCOP, n.d.). UC’s institutional sustainability
commitment began in 2003 through a student
initiative that led to the UC Regents adopting the
Presidential Policy on Green Building Design and
Clean Energy Standards in 2004.

CURRENT APPROACH
All UC employees and students ordering goods are
responsible for using only authorized licensees that
have expressly agreed to adhere to their trademark
licensing code of conduct policy (University of
California-Policy Trademark Licensing Code of
Conduct, 2018). UC also tracks and reports annual
progress towards these goals.
For accountability, an annual report is presented to
the Board of Regents each January on UC's progress
toward meeting the goals in the Policy on Sustainable
Practices (UCOP Sustainability, n.d.). Having a wellorganized, structured, and robust procurement policy
documents and webpages for UC staff, not only
encourages but reinforces the importance of targets
and requirements.

RELEVANCE TO ASU
Large institutions such as UC and ASU have huge
potential to drive impact. Because transitioning from
a business as usual to a transformational approach to
labor grounded in social sustainability can be
difficult and take many years, a priority should be to
look to those who are already out in front on fair
labor. Some UC universities have close to two
decades of experience requiring companies do some
kind of credible supply chain monitoring (Peer PAC12
institution
licensing
program,
personal
communication, February, 17, 2022).
For an example of what is possible, UC was able to
reduce their licensee list to 120 companies (from
~350), with no reduction in revenue. Reducing the
licensee number down to the current 120 took time,
and was patiently built through many years of
expectation setting, encouragement, direction
toward training, tough conversations, and reminders
(Peer PAC-12 institution licensing program, personal
communication, March 6, 2022).

"Sustainability across UC is a broad,
collaborative effort with contributions
from students, staff, faculty, and
university leadership working at
multiple levels to achieve progress."
UCOP Sustainability. (n.d.).

UC SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES POLICY
The Sustainable Practices Policy guides sustainability efforts in
ten areas of sustainable practice: climate protection, clean
energy, green building, transportation, sustainable operations,
waste reduction and recycling, sustainable procurement,
sustainable foodservice, sustainable water systems, and
standards for UC Health.
The UC Sustainable Procurement Guidelines lay out the
minimum sustainability requirements for products and services
purchased by the University of California.
https://sustainability.uci.edu/sustainablecampus/uc-sustainable-practices-policy/

PAGE 9

CASE STUDY

TONY'S CHOCOLONELY

MEET THE COMPANY

RELEVANCE TO ASU

Tony’s Chocolonely began in 2005 through an
exercise in investigative journalism. As an episode on
a popular Dutch TV show, a team sought to explore
the inner-workings of the chocolate industry. Soon
into their research, the investigators began to
uncover the pervasiveness of modern slavery and
child labor across chocolate supply chains. With this
growth in knowledge and a relentless drive to
change the norm in the chocolate industry, Tony’s
was born (Tony's Chocolonely, 2021)

Ensuring fair labor across all aspects of the supply
chain is not a straightforward practice. Tony’s offers
a model for success in taking meaningful steps
toward shifting away from the reality of forced labor
in supply chains. Tony’s guiding pillars - creating
awareness, leading by example, and inspiring others
to act - have the potential to offer a launch pad for
future impact at ASU. Due to the different missions
and organizational structures of Tony’s Chocolonely
and ASU, deciding on the appropriate key
performance indicators in the context of the
univeristy is critical; however, it remains true that
the underlying commitment to protecting human
rights should never waver (Tony's Chocolonely, 2021,
pg. 25).

CURRENT APPROACH
Tony's roadmap to fair labor is guided by 3 main
pillars and supported by by 5 sourcing principles.

1.
2.

3.

Creating Awareness : Educating the retailer
and the cocoa farmers about illegal labor in
the cocoa industry.
Leading By Example : Providing a scaleable
model to prove that slave free chocolate is
possible from bean to bar. This is
accomplished through the company's 5
sourcing principles.
Inspiring Action : Inspiring Big Choco to act
and take responsibility through dialogue with
politicians, NGOs, and scientific institutions
while also inviting other chocolate companies
to follow Tony's model (Tony’s traceability in
the cocoa supply chain, n.d.)

5 Sourcing Principles
Traceable Beans
Higher Price

Strong Farmers
The Long Term
Better Quality &
Productivity

"Our vision is
100% slavefree chocolate.
Not just our
chocolate, but
all chocolate
worldwide."

(Tony's Chocolonely, 2021, pg. 7 & 53)

KEY FAIR LABOR MILESTONES
Issue Awareness
Ending forced
labor and child
labor within
the chocolate
supply chain.

Traceability

Living Income Model

Transparent Reporting

Tony's works with
Tony's has
Releasing annual
one of the largest
partnered with
reports outlining
chocolate
Fair Trade USA
what the company is
producers,
to develop a
doing well and
showing that it is
Living Income
where there is room
possible to walk
Model.
for improvement.
the walk.
(Tony's team member, personal communication, February 10, 2022)

CASE STUDY

PAGE 10

FABRIC

MEET THE COMPANY

RELEVANCE TO ASU

FABRIC Incubator (Fashion and Business Resource
Innovation Center) was created by two fashion
designers who wanted to fill a major void in the
industry. Creating a sewn item requires many steps,
from design, sourcing of materials, creation of
technical specifications and measurements, and
production of the actual product. Each process often
requires the knowledge of different experts in
different buildings, which can be expensive,
inefficient and unsustainable. Sherri Barry and
Angela Johnson created a space where each step of
the production process could be housed under one
roof in downtown Tempe, Arizona. (About FABRIC, 2021)

Creating a local manufacturing option provides
proximity
and
allows
for
control
and
accountability. It supports the local economy by
providing skilled labor jobs that pay a living wage.
Creating a local supply chain reduces the distance
the materials and products must travel and the
greenhouse gas emissions produced by this travel
(Plambeck, 2012). Regenerative farming practices
"foster healthier soils, improved water infiltration
and reduced soil erosion and have been recorded
to sustain yields and/or lead to reduced
production costs" (Farming for a better future,
2020).
Revolutionizing the supply chain in this way would
make ASU a true leader in innovation and
sustainability, and it would make Arizona a hub for
research on fair labor, regenerative farming, local
supply chain, economic development, and
consumption of ethically produced goods.

CURRENT APPROACH
The founders’ intentions were to create a
sustainable,
local,
no-minimum
quantity
manufacturing option for apparel entrepreneurs.
Fabric “pays their staff fairly because manufacturing
takes a lot of experience and skill. Each employee is
paid hourly above minimum wage and provided
benefits” (Sustainability, 2021). Fabric does not pay
“piece rate,” which is illegal because it can result in
unfair wages (Sustainability, 2021).

"A non-profit fashion incubator
that’s sustainably disrupting,
redefining and re-shoring the
fashion industry for the modern
apparel entrepreneur.”

SMALL TO LARGE SCALE MANUFACTURING
Fabric's operations offer an example of the resiliency and flexibility that local
manufacturing allows for. Under normal circumstances, Fabric operates as a smallbatch manufacturing facility. But during Covid-19, the founders saw an opportunity to
support their Tempe community and health care workers by producing large batches of
reusable isolation gowns. The Fabric team worked to transform their facility and ensure
FDA guidelines and requirements were met. As of January 1st, 2021, Fabric had
produced over 500,000 reusable gowns (Yu, 2021). Now, they have the ability to
produce items on a larger scale in addition to their small-batch manufacturing.
(Johnson, 2021)

PAGE 11

KEY TAKEAWAYS
The following is a breakdown of important points and insights gained
through informational interviews with experts in the university, fair
trade, and fair labor space.

THERE ARE MANY THIRD-PARTY
VERIFICATION/ASSESSMENT OPTIONS
Although many companies and institutions are familiar with and use industry
staples such as the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Collegiate Licensing Company
(CRC), and Worker's Rights Consortium (WRC), here is no single entity or
assessment that is universally used. There are many alternatives such as the
Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Social & Labor Convergence Program, Facility
Social & Labor Module, Better Cotton Initiative, SCS Global Services, EcoVadis,
and Elevated Limited. Not all companies and institutions are familiar with all
third-party verification and assessment options.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COLLEGIATE
LICENSING COMPANY (CLC)
Given the current landscape, the verification process offered by the CLC
provides a diligent assessment for collegiate licensed product suppliers.
Licensees are required to disclose producers and manufacturers to
understand where product materials are being sourced. There is no such
verification or assessment process available for non-licensed products.

IMPORTANCE OF FAIR LABOR CODE
OF CONDUCT CLAUSE WITHIN
PURCHASING POLICY
Because the scope of non-licensed products is so large, focus on code of
conduct and transparency as the main category priorities (CLC and ASU
contacts, personal communication, 2022).

PAGE 12

FREQUENTLY REVISIT AND UPDATE
SUPPLIER COMPLIANCE
INFORMATION
Not enough university licensing programs are acting on measuring
engagement with their code of conduct issues. By licensing with a lot of
companies that are not aware about fair labor, they lack the skills to navigate
the issues that are most definitely problems in their supply chains (Peer PAC12 institution licensing program, personal communication, March 6, 2022)

LEVERAGING RELATIONSHIPS AND
COLLABORATION
One school working alone on fair labor is really hard, so you need to have
training, development, and shared values throughout campuses and systems
(Peer PAC-12 institution licensing program, personal communication, March 6,
2022)

STUDENT INFLUENCE/IMPACT

Students
help
tremendously
to
raise
awareness,
provide
motivation/inspiration, drive impact, bring new perspectives, challenge the
status quo, and use their voices to push for accountability (ASU and UC
contacts, personal communication, 2022)

LONG-TERM TRAJECTORY

Reducing licensee list with no reduction in revenue is possible, but the most
important insight from that process is that it takes time, and is patiently built
through many years of expectation setting, encouragement, direction toward
training, tough conversations, and reminders (Peer PAC-12 institution
licensing program, personal communication, March 6, 2022)

PAGE 13

VISION
The details of our research, interviews, and discussions have brought to
light the profound complexity inherent to global supply chains. For this
reason, we are offering a variety of actionable steps for Arizona State
University to utilize in ensuring fair labor throughout the purchasing
process.
Our proposed vision is divided into three tiers: pragmatic, meet in the
middle, and transformational. These steps build upon each other and vary
in their level of ambition and impact. The respective recommendations
associated with each tier are rooted in two specific sustainability
frameworks, namely, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(UN SDG's) and School of Sustainability Professor Arnim Wiek's
Framework for Sustainability Problem Solving. We identify the most
relevant SDG goals on the following page and have woven in Prof. Wiek's
framework to our vision and accompanying suggestions.

TRANSFORMATIONAL

MEET IN THE
MIDDLE

PRAGMATIC

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PAGE 14

SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORKS
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

1

The United Nations 2030 Agenda acknowledges that global poverty is the greatest challenge
facing our population. Thus, the antithesis of this is to "end poverty in all its forms everywhere."

8

"Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all."

10

"Reduce inequality within and among countries." This goal has interim targets such as adopting
fiscal policies to reach greater equity.

12

From 2000 to 2017 the global material footprint increased by 70%. SDG 12 hopes to "ensure
sustainable consumption and production patterns."

16

"Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice
for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels."
https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Framework for Sustainability Problem Solving
Our team utilized Arnim Wiek's
Transformational
Framework
for
Sustainability Problem Solving as a
guiding tool in creating our report and
tiered-vision. The three main elements
we used include:
Analyzing the problem of forced
labor in global supply chains.
Building a strategy around ensuring
fair labor in the ASU procurement
process.
Producing an inspiring vision for
the future.

Key Definitions
Pragmatic: "allowing for
shortcuts, if justified by
urgency" (Wiek, 2015, pg. 29).
Transformational: "aimed at
significant, disruptive, radical,
leaping changes" (Wiek, 2015,
pg. 29).

"The transformational framework aspires to
produce actionable knowledge that can be put
into practice to solve the problem at hand"
(Wiek, 2015, pg. 25).

PAGE 15

PRAGMATIC TIER

In alignment with the university charter, ASU takes
ownership for the labor present in its supply
chains.
All purchasing entities are knowledgeable in the
issue of forced labor, university consumption is
limited to relevance and necessity, suppliers have
fair labor standards embedded into their code of
conducts, and there
exists a faculty member
HIGHLIGHTS:
dedicated to ethical
Reimagining what is necessary
labor and sustainable
Assessing consumption
purchasing.
Educating and capacity building
Embedding fair labor into
purchasing

PAGE 16

PRAGMATIC ACTIONS

PURCHASING
ASU Trademark Management's Fair Labor Philosophy and Code of
Conduct for Trademark Licensees states that,
"ASU is committed to conducting its business in an ethical and socially
responsible manner consistent with its educational mission. ASU also
requires all trademark licensees and their contractors to maintain fair,
safe, and non-exploitive working conditions. ASU may terminate
licenses immediately for failure to comply with these requirements. As a
condition of being permitted to produce or sell licensed products bearing
the name, trademarks, or images of ASU, each licensee must sign and
agree to comply with ASU’s current Code of Conduct and ensure that its
contractors comply with ASU’s Code of Conduct."
In an effort to establish fair labor standards for purchases beyond
licensed products, we propose the following actions:
Include fair labor standards in the code of conducts for all new
active supplier contracts, even those beyond trademark licensees.
Proposed language: "There shall be no use of forced labor,
including prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor or other
forms of forced labor" (Code of Conduct | Fair Labor
Association, 2012)
Additionally look to ASU's licensed code of conduct as
reference
Identify single-use and unnecessary swag in order to phase out
the use and distribution of these products
The highest purchase at ASU in the licensed category in 2021
was "Gifts and Novelties" at over 211,000 items (data provided
by Trademark Licensing Department)
Refer to Sustainable Promotional Materials Purchasing Toolkit
for a list of alternatives

PAGE 17

PRAGMATIC ACTIONS
AWARENESS AND COLLABORATION
ASU's mission states that the university assumes "fundamental responsibility for the
economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves" (ASU Charter,
n.d.). To expand awareness of labor in the supply chain and gain a sense of ASU's
purchasing habits we propose these action steps:
Educate all P-Card, PO, RFP holders, and any students or staff with purchasing power
about fair labor practices and what vendors comply with fair labor standards.
Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines Note: This set of guidelines does not
sufficiently address the social pillar of sustainability
To supplement this goal a presentation and script describing these topics have
been created. This presentation can be required for faculty and staff in a similar
context as Career EDGE courses (presentation and script attached)

Top 10 Annual Licensed Product Count 2021
Gifts & Novelties

211,382

Men's/Unisex T-Shirts (short
sleeve cotton)

104,138

Men's/Unisex T-Shirts (short
sleeve blend)

59,181

Men's/Unisex Adjustable NonWool Headwear

57,644

Writing Instruments

53,153

Face Protection

51,321

Premium Item

43,426

Window Decal

31,529

Socks

24,213

Office Products

23,929

Table 1: Data provided by Trademark Licensing Department

Highlight current vendors that adhere
to fair trade and labor practices and
communicate this information across
various purchasing entities beyond
licensed products
Refer to "Using Approved ASU
Vendors and Preferred Suppliers"
This is intended for purchases
outside of ASU departments such
as student organizations
Perform a consumption assessment to
understand what is being purchased,
at what quantity, its relevance, and its
necessity
Table 1 shows a sample of the data
that exists for licensed product
counts by year
This approach needs to be utilized
in the documentation of nonlicensed products to understand
the broader purchasing habits and
identify points of intervention with
suppliers

PAGE 18

PRAGMATIC ACTIONS

STAFF
As emphasized, increasing awareness is critical in moving towards a more ethical
supply chain. A key component of this process includes expanding the knowledge of
ASU staff that make large purchases. As a result, we propose the following actions:
ASU staff with purchasing abilities are required to take EiC training courses,
suggested by the FLA on a platform called ELEVATE, which cover procurement
topics such as:
Human Rights and FLA Principles
Preventing Forced Labor
Social Responsibility Management Systems
Responsible Subcontracting
Hire a dedicated ASU staff member focusing on sustainable and ethical
purchasing.
This person would focus on codes of conduct in new supplier contracts
ensuring they agree to fair labor standards
It is critical to alter code of conducts based on purchasing categories
E.g., a fair labor code of conduct for apparel will require different
language than one focusing on operational goods
A peer Pac 12 institution licensing program employs a staff member with the
title, Director of Ethical Labor and Sustainability. ASU can use this as
inspiration when creating our parallel position
Develop a Corrective Action Process (CAP) to help management agree on a path
forward for resolving any problems that arise with discrepancies in supplier
contracts (Social Responsibility Management Systems, Elevate)

PAGE 19

MEET IN THE MIDDLE TIER
As the largest fair labor university in the United States, ASU
exhibits a comprehensive understanding of the origin of its
products and their accompanying labor conditions. ASU has
embraced the principles of responsible consumption and
has stopped purchasing unnecessary single-use, "swag"
items. The tracking of purchased items is robust,
consistently monitored, and shared by multiple university
groups to ensure compliance with the university's fair labor
standards.
The human right to do work
that is voluntary, free of
penalty and results in fair
compensation is a nonnegotiable pillar inherent to
ASU's purchasing decisions.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Making fair labor standards a
non-negotiable
Eliminating unnecessary "swag"
purchases
Collaborating between groups
Practicing transparency

PAGE 20

MEET IN THE MIDDLE
ACTIONS
PURCHASING
Purchasing at ASU is a complex, multi-tiered process. To ensure that fair
labor is implemented at ASU different purchasing powers are needed at
various levels. We suggest the following:
Review existing contracts with suppliers and add the code of conduct
to each agreement when contract renews
A gap in controlling fair labor standards for non-licensed goods.
Reference code of conduct for UCLA or Tony's
Make fair labor standards a non-negotiable (However, give
suppliers X amount of months to get their standards in order)
Codes of conduct must be altered given the item being purchased
(Fair Labor Team, 2022)
Review inventory more often and review the inventory algorithm
(eliminate over-purchasing)
Break down purchases into categories within the algorithm to
create more accurate counts
Only use fair trade companies and work with active suppliers to
comply with fair labor standards.
Utilize purchasing power that ASU holds
ASU is a desirable purchasing partner (ASU Trademark &
Licensing Department, ASU Procurement)
Stop working with active suppliers that do not want to comply with
fair labor standards
Stop purchasing single-use and unnecessary “swag”.
Only begin purchasing again when there is a full understanding of
what products are purchased with fair vs forced labor, or only
purchase items that have been guaranteed as fair labor products
Over 211k items that were bought 2021 labeled "gifts and misc";
does not include individual clubs and athletics

PAGE 21

MEET IN THE MIDDLE
ACTIONS
AWARENESS AND COLLABORATION
Collaboration between the university, its partners,. and third party verifiers helps to
establish a more sustainable supply chain through idea sharing and capacity
building. As a result, we suggest the following:
Collaborate between university groups (USP, Procurement, Retail) and between
other universities
Follett (largest campus retailer in North America), as a great collaborator revenue shares off of re-selling used ASU branded clothing
Diligently monitor fair labor compliance through collaboration with the
university's third-party verifiers
Results can inform the university's decision to maintain or discontinue a
relationship with a noncompliant supplier
Provide annual reports on consumption and fair labor to promote transparency
Fully explain the gaps and opportunities in fair labor at ASU
Example: Tony's Chocoloney Annual Financial Report
Hire additional third-party verifiers, such as EcoVadis, SAC, SLCP, Elevate to
expand the universities monitoring abilities for non-licensed products.
Create incentives for the companies to use these services
Assist companies who are unable to use these services, financially, and
provide them with educational tools

STAFF
Capacity building among staff is a key component to long-term success; therefore, we
recommend the following:
Establish an ethical labor and sustainability purchasing team for ASU that
collaborates with existing procurement (Human Rights and FLA Principles, Elevate)
Ensure this team has a role in approving code of conduct with new suppliers

PAGE 22

TRANSFORMATIONAL TIER
ASU acknowledges that as a university and as a society,
our consumption is unsustainable and unfulfilling, and
takes a truly planet and people-centered approach to
procurement. ASU stops all purchasing and determines
what is truly necessary to sell, produce, and build as a
university. A localized supply chain exists to produce all
items under sustainable and ethical conditions, as locally
as possible. This future includes Indigenous rights,
regenerative farming practices, circular design, and
most importantly, a holistic and spiritual approach to
consumption. The university's values are reflected in
clothing and buildings
that do not require
HIGHLIGHTS:
exploitation and
Purchasing new is limited
extraction, and instead
Extending the life of all
support a regenerative and
materials being utilized
balanced community.
Investing long-term in fair labor
Creating local supply chains
Centering the land and people

PAGE 23

TRANSFORMATIONAL
ACTIONS
PURCHASING
Long-lasting, meaningful changes within ASU procurement will require a reimagining of the
business as usual processes that are currently in place.

Stop purchasing completely while an assessment of the supply chain is completed
This includes building materials and technology
Think holistically and spiritually to determine what items are deemed necessary in the
supply chain
How many t-shirts do we as humans need? What items does ASU need to sell, if
focused on sustainability, happiness, and wellbeing? How much building and
expansion does ASU need to do?
Completely eliminate purchasing "swag" and giveaway items
Explore creative opportunities for ASU to make up for lost revenue, such as
consulting on transformative fair labor solutions
Create a process or checklist that must be completed before purchasing new
Require all items purchased, not just clothing, to be produced under fair labor standards
Utilize ASU purchasing power to enforce its suppliers to produce under fair labor
standards. The UC system is a great example of how long-term dedication can result
in strong relationships with vendors and adherence to fair labor standards
Ensure that suppliers abide by other sustainable practices in addition to fair labor
Extend the life of garments and items already in existence
Sell secondhand ASU items. ASU could source these items from alumni and current
students and include vintage garments, graduation regalia, athletic gear, and more
When furnishing new buildings, seek secondhand/reuse options first

LOCAL SUPPLY CHAIN
Create a local, regional, and/or national supply chain that puts people, land, biodiversity
involved in the supply chain first.
Utilize researchers at ASU, and other Arizona universities, to develop a localized supply
chain, ideally within Arizona or the surrounding regions
Land use
Extensive consideration and effort should be invested into land back
opportunities and other actions that center on Indigenous rights (Yesno, 2019)
When producing agricultural products for local manufacturing, implement
regenerative farming practices. This allows for respected, healthy land locally and
improved climate conditions globally (Farming for a better climate, 2020)
Build relationships among those farming the land for resources
Utilize grants and funding to pilot the local supply chain as a research project - this
could be taken on by professors, graduate students, and specialized courses
Implement circular design when creating the localized supply chain
Utilize researchers at ASU and other Arizona universities to further research on
breaking down materials at an atomic level

PAGE 24

TRANSFORMATIONAL
ACTIONS
AWARENESS AND COLLABORATION
Awareness and collaboration are essential for transformational changes within fair labor. It is
important to foster long-term investment between vendors and university groups in order to
promote coherency throughout the supply chain.
University-wide educational campaigns
Build a partnership between the Athletics department and the Ethical Labor and
Sustainable Purchasing team to highlight the importance of mindful consumption
through relevant and engaging, fair labor focused initiatives
Collaboration between retail and procurement
Vendors get their orders from retail, so enforcement is much more effective if retail
is on the same page with procurement
Collaboration between university groups (USP, Procurement, Retail) and between ASU
and other universities
There is strength in numbers
A dedicated, long-term investment through specific positions, if not an entire team, to
focus on fair labor in the supply chain
Internal and external marketing to ensure that anyone coming in contact with ASU goods
understands their value

PAGE 25

CONTINUING ACTION: STUDENT
MOVEMENTS
During our interviews, we asked how change can be made within a
university . Many of our interviewees stated that students have a lot
of power to influence decision making. Students, being the primary
consumers and clients, can express their concerns with ASU actions
and policies, and can push for changes in university practices.
WHAT ACTIONS CAN STUDENTS TAKE?
Consistent emails to university leadership stating their
dissatisfaction about perpetuating unfair labor practices
Non-violent protests in front of and inside buildings
News media reporting on university fair labor challenges
Creating clubs and student groups fighting for fair labor
procurement

PAGE 26

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PAGE 27

REFERENCES CONT.
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IMAGES
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https://www.ecotextile.com/2021090128271/social-compliance-csr-news/garment-workers-pay-increasesby-up-to-57.html
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-handshakes-safe-if-youve-been-vaccinated-for-covid19/https://www.sage.com/en-us/blog/collaboration-cross-departments/
https://www.innovatorsmag.com/designing-the-future-of-farming/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/25/working-from-home-mental-health
https://news.asu.edu/20151116-sun-devil-life-asu-students-rally-support-mizzou-protests
Tony's photo: http://stefaanvandist.eu/walkwithspark/tonys-chocolonely-purpose-storytelling/
UC Sustainable Procurement: https://sustainability.uci.edu/sustainablecampus/uc-sustainable-practicespolicy/
Intro photo: https://asu.widen.net/s/xxtwxvgbfh/211223-asu-orange-mall-1112-jo