WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production)
WRAP - Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production - is the independent, Arlington, Virginia nonprofit founded in 2000 that certifies factories around the world against its 12 Principles for safe, lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - the world's largest independent social compliance certification program for the apparel, footwear and sewn-products sectors
- Type
- Independent nonprofit organization (incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2000)
- Headquarters
- Arlington, Virginia, United States (with offices in Hong Kong and Bangladesh and representatives in other producing regions)
- Founded
- 2000 (from the American Apparel Manufacturers Association committee process begun in 1997)
Company Profile
WRAP today certifies individual factories - never brands or parent companies - against its 12 Principles, with certificates graded by audit performance and subject to unannounced surveillance visits, and it trains auditors, factory staff and other supply-chain professionals from its Arlington headquarters and its Hong Kong and Bangladesh offices. Its principles on customs compliance and security are benchmarked to the U.S. CTPAT program, and since 2018 it has been the American Apparel and Footwear Association's official corporate social responsibility partner. One standing caution, which this site applies to every certification body: standards, fees and procedures are set by WRAP and change over time, so check the current requirements with WRAP itself through the button above before relying on this profile. The full program history is kept on the history page linked below. As a nonprofit certifier, this page carries no marketplace shop box.
Apparel producers face growing pressure from retailers, governments, consumers, shareholders and the media to be held accountable for their global production practices. Recognizing the potential for individual manufacturers to adopt inconsistent standards and unnecessarily duplicate monitoring efforts, several prominent apparel producers approached the American Apparel Manufacturers Association to coordinate the industry's role in addressing these issues - the process that produced WRAP. The Apparel Certification Program has operated since 2000.
A compliance note belongs on this page by this site's own rule for certification bodies: WRAP's principles, fees and audit procedures are WRAP's to state, and they change - so treat this profile as background and check the current certification requirements with WRAP itself, through the official-site button above, before relying on them.
WRAP History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
WRAP History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
What does WRAP certify - companies or factories?
Factories. WRAP certification applies to an individual production facility, not to a parent company or a brand: a facility is audited against the 12 WRAP Principles, certified at a level, and remains subject to unannounced follow-up inspections during the certificate's validity.
What are the 12 WRAP Principles?
Laws and workplace regulations; no forced labor; no child labor; no harassment or abuse; compensation and benefits; hours of work; no discrimination; health and safety; freedom of association and collective bargaining; environment; customs compliance; and security. They rest on local law and the spirit of the relevant International Labour Organization conventions.
Is WRAP part of the apparel industry association?
No - it is deliberately independent. The AAMA committee process recommended an independent nonprofit, and WRAP was incorporated as one in 2000, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It works closely with the AAFA - it became the association's official CSR partner in 2018 - but certification decisions are WRAP's own. Always check the current standard with WRAP itself, as this site's certification pages advise.
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