FAQ

QCA was formed in July 2008 by the following companies that import and/or manufacturer promotional products: Avaline; Barton Nelson, Inc.; BDA Inc.; Broder Bros.; Dard Products, Inc.; Fanda Enterprises, Inc.; Gemline; Gordon Industries, Ltd.; Leed’s; Logomark, Inc.; MMI International Trade; Prime Resources, Corp.; and Sweda Company, LLC.

For more details on QCA founders, click here. 

Product search engines from Buttonwood Technology Group and SAGE – Quick Technologies each contain a search parameter that includes QCA Certified Suppliers. Select this option as one of the search criteria for products from those companies to appear.

While there are several organizations serving the promotional products industry, none of them specialize in developing compliance programs. Additionally, the wide range of business models and the desire to find a one-size-fits-all solution tends to steer the industry toward the lowest common denominator as opposed to a standard that Fortune 1000 will find acceptable. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, QCA can focus exclusively on creating the most comprehensive compliance program with a robust support system without the distraction of addressing other industry needs.

Quality Certification Alliance is a Chicago, Illinois-based independent, accreditation organization whose mission is to elevate the standards by which industry firms that import and/or manufacture promotional products provide consistently safe, high-quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise.

QCA Accreditation is a process of comprehensive validation that confirms a promotional products supplier has processes in place intended to detect and deter any non-compliant product from entering the marketplace. The QCA Certification Process harmonizes the ever-increasing array of compliance tools, identifies the most rigorous standards, measures these standards, and continuously revises and updates the measures and methodology to reflect evolving concerns.

QCA Accreditation / Certification is granted to companies who complete an independent third-party audit and comply with stringent standards, which are based upon a combination of state and national laws, international standards and industry-accepted best practices that are recognized for their strength and effectiveness by QCA Accredited companies, the promotional products industry and end-user clients.

For details on the QCA Certification Process, click here. 

The QCA Accreditation Program addresses compliance in five key areas: product safety, product quality, supply chain security, social accountability and environmental stewardship.

For details about each of these areas, click here. 

A QCA Certified Supplier is a company that has signed an agreement attesting that all merchandise manufactured for promotional purposes under its auspices complies with the QCA’s Standards for Compliance, has provided self-assessments of its own facilities to the QCA Certification Program administration and maintains self-assessments of the facilities in which its work is contracted. Additionally, this company actively engages in developing and implementing corrective actions to continuously ensure all facilities are upholding compliance standards; and, most importantly, engages third-party auditors to validate self-assessments.

A QCA Certified Supplier has successfully completed the QCA Accreditation Process, which includes third-party audits of its headquarters offices as well as multiple supply chain audits. QCA Certification lasts for two years and includes multiple random off-year audits to ensure the QCA Accredited Supplier continues not only to manage and improve its internal processes but also to effectively detect and deter unsafe or non-compliant product before it enters the supply chain. Only QCA Certified Suppliers in good standing may use the QCA Seal of Approval as well as QCA marketing materials. 

Companies that manufacturer or import promotional products are eligible to apply for the QCA Accreditation Program. For application information, email dfenton@qcalliance.org.

No. Companies of any size and any product category can successfully complete the QCA Accreditation Process. Currently, companies with sales ranging from less than $2 million to more than $480 million dollars in revenue are part of the QCA Accreditation Program. In fact, smaller companies may actually benefit more as they do not have the resources to develop comprehensive compliance programs on their own.

A QCA Applicant for Accreditation is a company that has signed a letter affirming commitment to assuring all merchandise manufactured under its auspices for promotional purposes complies with QCA’s Standards of Compliance and has begun the self-assessment process of the QCA Accreditation Program. An Applicant may not exceed the initial one-year applicant status period, nor is it eligible to use the QCA brand or marketing materials until the QCA Accreditation Process has been successfully completed.

Jeffrey P. Jacobs is QCA’s executive director, and D E (Denise) Fenton serves as executive director – compliance. To learn more about their responsibilities and qualifications, click here.

Yes, Jeffrey P. Jacobs, QCA executive director, and D E (Denise) Fenton, QCA executive director – compliance, are available for speaking engagements. Additionally, a select group of QCA Certified Suppliers as well as QCA Distributor Advocacy Council members are also available. Fees depend on the event and the audience. Email jeff@qcalliance.org for details.

As a 501 (c) 6 not-for-profit organization, QCA is limited in scope to what kind of individual consulting can be done. To help companies build compliance programs that meet QCA Accreditation Standards, for example, QCA executive directors have resources and can make referrals based on specific company needs. Email jeff@qcalliance.org for details.

The QCA Distributor Advocacy Council is comprised of promotional products distributors that value product safety and compliance and support the mission of QCA. For more details about the Distributor Advocacy Group as well as Distributor Advocacy Council, click here. 

While QCA was formed to create a comprehensive compliance program for suppliers as the manufacturers or importers of record for promotional products, distributors have also expressed the desire to take a proactive stance on compliance expectations from the manufacturers in their supply chains. To meet the needs of these distributors and help them meet the end-buyer mandate to deliver safe and compliant promotional products, QCA formed the Distributor Advocacy Group in July 2010.

In April 2011, a small subset of Distributor Advocacy Group was elevated to become the Distributor Advocacy Council and work more closely with the QCA Board of Directors.  This Council is comprised of the distributors who have the strongest commitment to compliance and have chosen QCA Accreditation as a key criterion for selecting their preferred supplier programs when making sourcing decisions.

In May 2012, the Council became even more formalized with the creation of the QCA Distributor Advocacy Council Charter. 

The QCA Distributor Charter was established to allow distributors the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to delivering safe and compliant promotional products to their Fortune 1000 customers. The Charter contains five specific and measurable commitments that must be met for Council participants to be in good standing. If the commitments are not met, then membership in the QCA Distributor Advocacy Council will be revoked. 

While suppliers bear the majority of the responsibility, distributors play a role in three ways:

1. Compliance is the law.

Federal and state governments are taking product safety very seriously, and they are passing regulations to keep citizens safe from merchandise that is deemed hazardous. While there is much focus on safe products, social policies and environmental regulations also play a significant role in compliance. And since distributors are part of the supply chain, they can be held legally liable along with suppliers.

2. End buyers expect compliance and brand equity protection.

The threat of recall and fines compliance violations is real, and end buyers cannot take any chances of using merchandise that can harm recipients and tarnish their brands. To avoid any mishaps, Fortune 1000 customers have become more proficient at vetting their promotional products supply chains—which includes distributors as well as suppliers. End buyers expect compliance with legislative, social and environmental requirements as a part of doing business today, so distributors must be educated and up-to-date on the latest compliance issues and regulations.

3. Compliance is smart business.

Because of the demands from buyers, distributors are rewarding suppliers that can demonstrate they are compliant. Supplier companies of all sizes are responding to the challenges and opportunities that come as part of the product safety and compliance movement by growing their client solutions. Not having a proactive, comprehensive compliance program has now become a competitive disadvantage for those companies who fail to address these expectations from their corporate clients. 

It is clear that better compliance solutions are developed in partnership rather than in silos. Through QCA, suppliers and distributors are experiencing a new level of collaboration where they can sell the value proposition of safe and complaint promotional products. This collaboration better meets client needs, which results in enhanced relationships, greater confidence, growing trust and reliance, and ultimately in increased revenues. This approach not only protects clients, but it also protects and elevates the professionalism of the promotional products industry. 

Compliance programs are not a black-or-white, pass-or-fail, all-or-nothing exercise. Nor is compliance a destination. Rather it is an ever-evolving journey—one that grows in complexity as the regulatory environment unfolds. Success comes to companies that work together, collaborating on how to best continually serve the needs of clients within the parameters of the law. 

 Providing safe and compliant promotional products is an essential component of doing business in today’s hyper-competitive environment. Fortune 1000 clients expect safe and compliant product, and smaller businesses are also beginning to require the same assurances.

QCA Accreditation increases buying confidence because it protects brand equity throughout the supply chain, from the promotional products supplier, through the distributor, to the end buyer and ultimately to the final end user.

Companies with QCA Accreditation have a proactive comprehensive compliance program in place that protects the brand equity of the end user clients by addressing not only product safety and quality but also compliance with legislative, social and environmental requirements.

Additionally, these standards also protect the reputation of the industry. When one company has an issue, it reflects poorly on the industry as a whole. QCA Accreditation eliminates the unnecessary risks of non-compliance and also establishes protocols in the event a recall is required.

For more details on the QCA Accreditation process, click here.

Industry manufacturers and importers—the entry points for products into the promotional products marketplace—have been looking for a way to effectively address client product safety concerns. The promotional products industry could not continue to address this topic in a reactive nature; however, the absence of an industry-specific compliance standard was hindering the process.

QCA was formed a group of industry thought leaders to address these industry needs by providing the tools required to help companies put the necessary processes in place to deliver consistently safe, high-quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise. 

QCA Accreditation brings a number of benefits that improve product lines, enhance organizational credibility, and directly impact both top- and bottom-line results. Industry leadership, product differentiation, cost savings for compliance program development and execution, cost savings on continued compliance education and a variety of additional cost reductions are just a few of the many benefits. For more details, click here.

While testing is an element of a compliance program, it is not a complete compliance program. The QCA Accreditation Program evaluates five distinct areas: product safety, product quality, supply chain security, social accountability and environmental stewardship—far more encompassing than product testing alone.

Additionally, independent third-party audits of a company’s headquarters and supply chain are also required as a part of QCA Accreditation. The result is a comprehensive compliance program that based upon a combination of state and national laws, international standards and industry-accepted best practices that are recognized for their strength and effectiveness by QCA Accredited companies, the promotional products industry and end-user clients.

For more information about the QCA Accreditation Program, click here. 

Yes, over time. QCA exists to be the promotional products industry standard for product safety and compliance. The QCA Accreditation Program was built specifically to stand up to scrutiny from the most demanding client audiences, and of yet, no alternative offerings have come out of our industry.

We can work directly with your clients to demonstrate the rigor and comprehensiveness of QCA Certification. While progress has been made on a client-by-client basis, having QCA Certification recognized as the industry standard on such a complicated topic will take much education and an element of time. 

Audits are a snapshot in time. They can be a reflection of how that factory routinely functions, or they can be a reflection of factory management’s ability to successfully navigate the auditing process and appear compliant. The only way to effectively manage this is by having checks and balances designed to catch non-compliance integrated into your sourcing and production processes. The QCA Accreditation Program includes a series of third-party audits for initial QCA Certification coupled with an ongoing annual set of audits over the life of a company’s accreditation with QCA.

No company can make such a claim—especially at the low price points prevalent in the promotional products industry. For another example, just look at the prescription drug industry. These companies spend millions of dollars to ensure safety, and yet they still have product issues.

What is certain, however, is that compliance not a destination, it is a journey—one that our industry should be embracing. But the reality is that many promotional products companies are avoiding compliance, oftentimes due to misconceptions about costs and/or the severity of the ramifications of noncompliance.

QCA Applicants and Accredited Suppliers have invested resources and years of effort into their compliance programs and are significantly better at compliance than most, if not all, of the industry. The question should not be, “Are QCA Accredited Suppliers perfect?” Rather, the questions should be, “Why aren’t other companies developing these types of compliance programs to protect their customers’ brand, and why they spending time fighting the requirements instead of working to meet them?

The International Standards Organization (ISO) provides standards for everything from quality monitoring systems and environmental practices to container seals and auditor training. The ISO then licenses companies and individuals to teach these processes through consultation.

World Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP) is a factory level certification that was initially focused exclusively on social responsibility, but the program has been expanded to include sustainable manufacture. QCA accepts WRAP certification in lieu of the social accountability component of the QCA Accreditation Program because WRAP includes a focus on capacity building.

The Fair Labor Association (FLA) tends to be more prevalent in the collegiate licensing market space, and this certification is exclusively limited to social responsibility. At this time, QCA does not accept FLA accreditation.

While these certification programs are valid, they are designed to address a specific need. QCA Accreditation is a comprehensive program that covers product safety, product quality, supply chain security, social accountability and environmental stewardship—all the areas in which end buyers and end users expect compliance and safety.

For details on the QCA Accreditation Program, click here. 

This certainly can be a daunting task, especially in light of the state level compliance legislation and the inconsistencies in the approach. In the absence of participating in a program such as QCA, we would recommend contracting with a compliance expert who’s full-time role is to monitor and update your process for any changes.