When purchasing UCLA promotional products, you have the opportunity to support the pursuit of ethical labor practices throughout supply chains used to make UCLA licensed goods. And, as part of the UCLA community you have a responsibility to do so. Please ensure that you/your department or student group purchases its UCLA promotional products only from companies who are licensed by the University via UCLA Trademarks & Licensing. Read more about what we are doing to ensure that UCLA licensees continuously improve the level of ethical labor management implementation in their supply chains. In order to support these efforts, it is important that the UCLA community be the first line of defense by using only UCLA licensed resources to source their department/group promotional products.

 

Buyers play a significant role in influencing vendor engagement in ethical sourcing and supply chain transparency considerations. If buyers demand ethical sourcing and transparency and prioritize these attributes over other considerations (e.g. fastest and cheapest, etc.) they enable vendors to invest in these efforts. Purchasing products with the “UCLA” name and trademarks from unlicensed vendors, believing that it saves you time and money, not only violates campus policy but may expand opportunities for unethical practices– such as child labor, unsafe working conditions, and even slavery– to persist, as well be associated with an product bearing the UCLA® brand name.

Every point along the journey—from sourcing the raw materials, to the laborers who manufactures the blank goods and components, to those who apply the UCLA® brand name, to selecting a vendor to buy from—is a point at which an ethical sourcing decision can be made.

As buyers of “UCLA” promotional products, campus departments and groups are part of the UCLA supply chain. Be an informed buyer and use only UCLA-licensed suppliers. UCLA-licensed suppliers have been vetted, are regularly re-evaluated for continuous and improvement, and are contractually obligated to implement corrective actions in the event of any non-compliances.

One more note: purchasing promotional products from unauthorized vendors creates risks for the university in addition to undermining its ethical sourcing objectives.

Your decisions do make a difference. UCLA internal campus community sourcing of promotional products bearing the UCLA® brand name represents over 25% of all UCLA product purchases in the U.S. market.