On Friday, Dec. 1, the University of Connecticut hosted representatives from Colosseum Athletics, Kelsey Keene, the vice president of Licensing and ESG, and Taylor Muncy, a UConn alum and ESG specialist, to talk about how the company successfully executes the intersection of business and human rights.
Founded in 1992, Colosseum Athletics is a privately held, minority-owned business and is one of UConn’s top licensees. Originally the company’s program was named under Corporate Social Responsibility, but as of late, they have shifted to Environment, Social and Governance. “We felt this had a more holistic look at the goals we had for the program and the goals we have to be a socially responsible company,” Keene explained. Throughout the presentation, Keene and Muncy elaborated on what each of these terms mean for the company and how they execute them.
Muncy went on to explain the initiatives Colosseum takes to pursue its goal of environmental sustainability. Some of these efforts include recycled hangtags, 100% recycled polybags, offers of master polybags (which is just the option to have the products come in one giant bag rather than individually) and polyester fabric which is made of recycled plastic bottles which helps to reduce carbon emissions. However, these efforts are not applied to 100% of the company’s products.
She then explained what efforts Colosseum’s activewear brand specifically does to support the environment. Its line, Earth | Air | Fire | Water also uses the same previously mentioned recycled materials and hangtags, but they also do something extra. The company recently started a tree-planting project in partnership with the Eden Reforestation Project. A percentage of each sale from the line will contribute to the planting of one mangrove tree. These trees are excellent for extracting carbon dioxide from the air.
The presentation shifted back to Keene to showcase the company’s supply chain snapshot. The majority of their factories are located in China (78.70%) and the rest in Vietnam, Bangladesh, the United States and as of recently, Pakistan.
Keene then transitioned to explaining how the company’s supply chain contributes to how it approaches its social goals. She says how many people believe that Colosseum stands at the end of the process when in reality, it stands in the middle. The company does not place an order to their factories until the retailer — the university bookstore or a middle-tier retailer like Dick’s Sporting Goods or Kohl’s — has placed an order to the company. Keene emphasizes this because the retailers play a big role in how the licensee’s workers are paid and treated without even realizing it. “The retailers not being a part of the conversation is a big problem,” she said.
Colosseum Athletics has also integrated itself with the Fair Labor Association which has implemented efforts to ensure that the factory workers are being paid a fair living wage. The association also tries to ensure a safe working environment through assessments of training systems, analysis of wage data and more.
The formal presentation closes with Keene and Muncy overviewing best practices universities and their own company can implement to help. The biggest request from Colosseum is for universities to have more understanding and flexibility. Colosseum has over 700 licensees, and they begin production for all of them at the same time. Keene explains that a common problem the company faces is sampling. When one university asks for a sample of one or multiple products before any production starts, it puts everyone on hold. “When universities can understand this and become more flexible with their requirements, it can drastically improve efficiencies in the production line,” Keene said.
The number one area that Keene says universities can make the most improvement is in artwork. Fortunately, UConn does not pose many issues in this area, but several other universities do. Keene explained how Colosseum receives over 60,000 pieces of artwork every year that need to be commented on, edited and approved promptly in order to stay on schedule, but of course that does not always happen. She describes how the approval will come in late, the artwork comments will be confusing or the artwork files will be mislabeled entirely.
Picture this example that Keene provided:
Many schools’ main color is navy blue. If one “navy school” submits their artwork approval late, production for every other navy school also stops. This results in precut pieces of fabric lying around which in turn creates a fire hazard, therefore creating a dangerous work environment. It also leads to the factories working overtime which also diminishes the workers’ experiences.
The final plea Keene makes to universities is to take the initiative to physically visit the factories. Not only will this broaden their understanding of the production process, but it will also allow university representatives to interact with the factory workers and speak to managers.
As for Colosseum Athletics itself, Keene describes how the company incorporates The Centre for Child Rights and Business into its program. Especially in China, many factory workers are forced to be separated from their children for extended periods — many of whom only get the chance to see their children twice a year. This puts the child at risk of leaving school early and moving into the labor force too early. This program provides parents with SmartWatches that create a more fun and exciting outlet for their children to speak to them while they are away. It also offers parents information sessions on how to parent from afar.
For more information on how Colosseum Athletics pursues ESG, you can contact kelseyk@colosseumusa.com or look at the company’s Engagement page.