Ohio State University names new apparel & retail partners

Through J. America and Fanatics, the university will continue to engage companies in Ohio as sub-licensees, suppliers, embroiderers, and screen printers. Their current base of business with Ohio-based companies – including packaging, freight, blank apparel, corrugation and insurance services – is expected to double as a result of this agreement.

In addition to engaging Ohio-based apparel companies, Fanatics is expanding its commitment to Ohio by creating approximately 300 full-time jobs and hundreds of additional seasonal opportunities when it opens a new distribution center in Frazeysburg, Ohio, in 2013. J. America and Fanatics also will provide educational, internship and employment opportunities on Ohio State’s campus through a new retail showroom and design center which will be staffed with up to 14 full-time employees.

Enhancing socially responsible business practices

“The new apparel model increases the university’s leverage to protect the rights of workers who are involved in the production of licensed apparel,” Kaplan said. “We will significantly decrease the number of factories we need to monitor for human rights issues from more than 800 to fewer than 20, making it easier to enforce compliance with Ohio State’s code of conduct.”

In addition, Kaplan said that the university will partner with Verité, an internationally recognized expert on global labor rights issues. Verité will assist the university in supply-chain management including factory monitoring protocols, developing performance measures that align with Ohio State’s existing code of conduct, and creating a framework for ongoing campus community involvement. Ohio State’s agreement with Verité will be that organization’s first with a university. University leaders met a number of times with students concerned about labor issues, and their input helped shape this social responsibility program.

Ohio State is a member of both the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), two university-led worker rights organizations. The Ohio State Code of Conduct for Licensees is a requirement for any manufacturer using the Ohio State name and/or logo on merchandise and is among the more stringent college or university codes.

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