CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (July 10, 2018) – Quality Certification Alliance (QCA) has reached a milestone this July, commemorating 10 years as the promotional product industry’s only independent, non-profit accrediting organization dedicated to validating industry manufacturing and sourcing processes. QCA has grown from a group of 14 forward-looking companies in search of a comprehensive industry standard for compliance to the industry model for world-class brand safety through responsible sourcing of branded merchandise.
“QCA has added immeasurable value to our industry during the last 10 years and remains a shining example of what’s possible through collaboration around doing what’s right, fair and responsible,” said QCA Board President David Clifton of alphabroder.
When asked what prompted his organization to become a founding company of the QCA, Immediate-Past President Larry Whitney with Polyconcept, noted, “We had a good compliance program, but it was difficult to get that point across to customers and end users without a frame of reference. There were, and still are, no comparable organizations that evaluate an organization on their ability to meet a variety of compliance-related criteria. Encouraging an independent third-party organization like QCA was in the best interests of our industry.”
QCA’s continued enhancement of protocols and standards reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering innovative, powerful and robust solutions for brand safety through the responsible sourcing and manufacturing of promotional products. “QCA has become the preeminent industry organization in product quality and safety, and for 10 years there is no match, which shows the vision of this innovative group of founding companies,” said Jeff Lederer, CEO of Primeline, another QCA founding company. “The longevity of QCA shows that the importance of ensuring this industry has the proper standards of compliance is critical.”
As the QCA Accredited Supplier base has expanded during its 10-year history, the organization recently turned its attention to generating more end buyer brand safety awareness. For nearly the past two years, QCA has been engaging directly with brands and trade associations across the country to promote brand safety. The message is simple, “If your brand is significant enough to promote, then it is significant enough to protect.”
