My first interaction with the Quality Certification Alliance came while I was managing brand merchandise at Michelin. There had been some product failures in licensed and promotional products in the UK and China. Fortunately, no one was injured seriously, but Michelin had to shoulder the expense of recalls and damage to the brand image. The managing partners created a worldwide committee to develop a universal safety standard for purchasing, manufacturing, and licensing these “non-tire” products. As part of that initiative, Michelin turned to its primary distributor of record in the United States at the time, BDA, looking for some input. Jay Deutsch, co-founder of BDA, and the driving force behind the creation of QCA, offered the chance to meet some executives from the founding supplier organizations of QCA, and I was impressed at first blush with their dedication to delivering safer product.
After retiring from Michelin, I had the pleasure of serving the QCA board as executive director for four years. At that time the non-profit was perceived in the industry as setting a standard for its accreditation that was “too hard” to achieve for all but the largest suppliers. It also had the perception of being prohibitively expensive and requiring significant manpower to navigate the accreditation process, which frequently took more than a year. The few distributors interested in product safety and who also recognized the market advantage of buying from accredited suppliers wanted a QCA accreditation of their own. At the time, that didn’t exist.
That’s why the “bigger tent” announcement by QCA this month resonated so strongly with me. Tim Brown, QCA’s executive director, operations, is rolling out the most inclusive changes to the organization in its 11 years in existence. “These changes are the result of input from many industry sources along with an intense introspective look at what this organization can do to best protect and grow the industry,” Brown said in a recent conversation. “The new model will create more engagement and involvement by many more companies of all sizes simply by removing some of the previously perceived barriers to participation.”
Specifically, there are new tiers for promotional product end-users to participate, and more opportunities for distributors. “Many end-buyers I talk with do not have much respect for our industry, and the fact that QCA exists tends to resonate very positively with them. Getting them involved as part of a roundtable user group enables us to obtain the essential feedback to elevate our program continuously while uplifting the industry. End-users aligning with other companies that are committed to ethical business practices and higher standards of conduct allows them to enhance their existing compliance programs while supporting their reputations as leaders in ethical sourcing.”
“The Distributor Advocate level is a reframing of our existing Distributor Advocacy Council. So many distributors are actively supporting QCA Accredited suppliers, but some lack the means of promoting their support and/or the clout to drive industry change by themselves. This new model allows for a collective voice that gives smaller distributors a chance to differentiate themselves via affiliation with QCA.”
For suppliers that had made the significant investment previously in accreditation, and in being re-accredited every two years, there was the advantage of being in a rather exclusive club. By creating a larger tent, some suppliers might be concerned that the market advantage would be diluted. “QCA’s Accreditation fee structure has always been calculated in accordance with a participants annual company revenue. We’ve expanded the tiers from two to five to make it more reasonable and applicable to the dynamics of the industry we serve. The participation model has no bearing on the program itself. Even with the changes, the Accreditation program is just as rigorous and carries the same demands, requirements, and reputation for thoroughness as it has in the past. We have heard the industry’s demand for broader participation and have adapted our model to be a better fit for industry companies of all sizes. We do not see it being diluted.”
In an industry that we all know puts little emphasis on product safety, dropping barriers to include all parties in the supply chain makes good sense. “End-buyers will drive demand for industry improvements and compliance with standards and best practices in social accountability, product safety, environmental stewardship, quality, and supply chain security. They will now be part of the process and see first-hand the extent to which industry companies go to protect them. In the end, it will generate bigger fans of the industry and make us all better.”
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. You can find him volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.