CSR Press Release

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 08 /CSRwire/ - The STR RS 5th Annual Responsible Sourcing Summit has gained exceptional traction among senior compliance and ethical trade managers, who are finding the two-day Summit of specific relevance to them. The event will take place on February 25-26, 2010 at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

STR Responsible Sourcing proudly presents Rachel Rigby of the Department of Labor's (DOL) International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB). Ms. Rigby will be traveling from Washington D.C. to discuss the recently published "DOL List" which highlights a group of 122 goods deriving from 58 countries that the ILAB suspects have been produced using child or forced labor. As one of the report's authors, Ms. Rigby will be imparting her intimate understanding of how this new initiative works and how it may impact business operations.

In addition, Virginia Bergin, Ethical Sourcing Regional Manager at Starbucks, will be sharing best practices on how brands can create vendor-owned compliance programs. Ms. Bergin will offer an in-depth look at Starbucks' innovative new partnership, which it has forged with vendor PMI, who will also be presenting. Together, Starbucks and PMI will discuss how vendor-owned compliance programs can be instrumental in eliminating the redundancy of multiple assessments and overlapping standards.

Meanwhile, leaders from TransFair USA will unveil their new apparel certification system. Scott Leonard, CEO of Indigenous Designs, will share his company's experience in implementing TransFair's scheme. He will explain why adopting this initiative makes sound business and ethical sense - and discuss some of the lessons learned along the way.

For its part, the TriVista Business Group will be making the connection on how strategic Lean Manufacturing practices can help to mitigate social compliance issues. The company will present vivid case studies to illustrate this point. As part of the discussion, Timberland will share the benefits it has gained through Lean Manufacturing.

The second day of the Responsible Sourcing Summit will showcase a three-hour interactive workshop, focusing on forced and indentured labor as well as child labor. Experts from the Office of International Affairs and US Immigrations and Customs Enforcementh will be on hand to discuss new enforcement policies and to offer tips on how companies can stay in compliance.

In addition to its strategic content, the STR RS 5th Annual Responsible Sourcing Summit is a networking opportunity for supply chain experts who want to exchange ideas with thought-leaders in the field of CSR and who are committed to their professional growth.

To view the full program and list of speakers, please click on STR RS 5th Annual Responsible Sourcing Summit-GPS: Navigating the New CSR Landscape.

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About STR Responsible Sourcing
STR Responsible Sourcing is a leading provider of corporate responsibility consulting services which include monitoring, training, research and program development. STR RS is a business unit within Specialized Technology Resources' Quality Assurance Division, which was founded in 1944. STR RS has offices in over 30 countries across five continents, and the reach to provide audit services in over 140 countries around the world. Visit STR at http://www.STRQuality.com.

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