To combat this disturbing trend, the Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA), a procurement training provider, unveiled a full-length online purchasing course, “Exemplary Supply Chain Social Responsibility.”

“Every day, the news reports about shameful things like child labor, human trafficking, hazardous working conditions, and animal cruelty being discovered in the supply chains of once-respectable companies,” said Charles Dominick, president and chief procurement officer of the Next Level Purchasing Association.

The companies are pressured to fix those situations, he said, but the new course helps them prevent these atrocities from happening under their watch in the first place.

With laws like the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, and the Securities and Exchange Commission requiring full public disclosure in the use of conflict minerals in all goods, an organization’s exposure to substantial fines and penalties is greater than before if it’s not in compliance with these laws and regulations.

Founded in 2000, the Next Level Purchasing Association provides online training and purchasing certification.

Source: NLPA