Breaking News: Industry Leaders Create Quality Certification Alliance

Key leaders in the promotional products industry today announced the formation of the Quality Certification Alliance, LLC (QCA), an independent, nongovernmental organization dedicated to elevating the standard in providing consistently safe, high quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise to Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. Executives from the organization’s founding companies officially launched QCA today at the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Expo in Las Vegas.

The QCA certification process assures merchandise manufactured, imprinted and imported by member companies conforms to established domestic and international product laws, regulations and standards. QCA has garnered wide support from numerous suppliers and distributors, including Avaline; Barton Nelson Inc.; BDA Inc.; Broder Bros., Co.; Dard Design; Fanda; Gemline; Gordon Industries, Ltd.; Leed’s; Litehouse Custom Printing; Logomark; MMI; Prime Line; Sweda Co., LLC; and Williams Industries/Next Products LLC.

“The QCA Seal of Approval will become the gold standard for the industry–a symbol of quality, safety and trust,” said Denise Fenton, QCA’s executive director. “QCA will aggressively promote this quality accreditation within the marketplace, and companies that display the seal will be considered industry leaders by clients with the most demanding purchasing standards.”

“We recognized that discerning marketing and procurement professionals need merchandise providers that they can trust to deliver the highest standard in safety and quality,” said Jay Deutsch, CEO of BDA, the nation’s premier merchandise agency, and a driving force in the establishment of QCA. Deutsch added, “QCA’s founding members have developed a certification that will soon become one of the most distinguished and desirable qualifications available to members of the industry. The group will pay careful attention to ensuring eco-friendly and socially acceptable practices, which are increasingly important to the world’s top brands.”

QCA accreditation is structured as a tiered program to allow for corrective action along the phased compliance process. Achieving the highest level of accreditation requires a self-evaluation followed by an independent third-party audit. The certification process examines member companies’ internal practices in five areas, including product safety, quality assurance, social compliance, supply chain security and environmental stewardship.