Northern Illinois University
EN-15: Trademark Licensing

Institution ensures that apparel bearing its name/logo is produced under fair working conditions by:

• Maintaining current membership in the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), the Fair Labor Association (FLA), or (for institutions outside the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.), an equivalent independent monitoring and verification organization that has been approved by AASHE; OR

• Adopting a labor rights code of conduct in its licensing agreements with licensees who produce its logo apparel without maintaining institutional membership in an independent monitoring and verification organization.

To qualify, a labor rights code of conduct must be consistent in all respects with the WRC Model Code of Conduct, the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct, or the International Labour Organisation (ILO) fundamental Conventions.

The companies, suppliers, and licensees that an institution works with may also participate in monitoring and verification organizations, thereby helping to ensure fair labor practices are applied throughout the supply chain, however these activities are not sufficient to earn points in this credit.

This credit applies to institutions whose logo is trademarked and appears on apparel, and have gross annual licensing revenue of $50,000 (US/Canadian) or more.

An institution earns the maximum of 2 points available for this credit for being a member of an independent monitoring and verification organization. Partial points are available. An institution that is not a member of an independent monitoring and verification organization, but has adopted a labor rights code of conduct in its licensing agreements with the licensees who produce its logo apparel earns 1 point. 

Timeframe

Report on current membership status and active codes of conduct at the time of submission.   

Sampling and Data Standards

Not applicable.