USC was among the first universities to implement standards for licensees and their subcontractors, and has a long history of taking action:
2016 – TLS staff members visit existing licensees’ manufacturing facilities in El Salvador, and observe a third-party social compliance audit.
2013 – USC publicly discloses all licensees and their manufacturing facilities.
2012 – USC has 175 active retail licensees all of whom have signed an agreement to adopt USC’s Workplace Code of Conduct. These licensees have also agreed to regular third-party social compliance monitoring to help verify that the code of conduct is being followed
2011 – USC receives over 125 new license applications. In large part due to the university’s social responsibility compliance requirements, less than 20% of new applicants are granted license agreements
2010 – USC releases Licensee Social Compliance Manual to all current and prospective licensees; among the first-of-its-kind among universities, the Manual provides detailed information and instruction on USC’s licensee standards, requirements and processes.
2008 (September) – USC allows 30 additional licenses to expire due to the unwillingness of those licensees to make a thorough effort to identify and remediate noncompliances with USC’s Workplace Code of Conduct
2008 (May) – USC joins the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP) Working Group in order to collaborate with other universities in addressing labor rights issues at the national level
2007 (September) – USC allows 88 licenses of retail products to expire due to the unwillingness of the licensees to meet USC standards for third-party compliance monitoring
2007 (May) – USC requires every USC licensee to submit to a third-party audit(s) to monitor compliance with the USC Workplace Code of Conduct
2006 – All new USC licensees are required to demonstrate systems and processes for monitoring and responding to worker issues in all facilities and those of their suppliers
2005 – USC strengthens licensing application to review history of corporate social responsibility programs designed to ensure compliance with USC’s Code of Conduct
2004 – USC licensees’ facilities are independently externally monitored by the Fair Labor Association
2001 – USC strengthens purchasing systems to ensure that all vendors selling logoed promotional products for USC departments sign a license agreement that includes USC’s Workplace Code of Conduct
2000 – USC joins the International Labor Rights Fund, a program designed to introduce and train non-governmental organizations worldwide in factory monitoring