Dear Stakeholders,

Next Level Apparel (NLA) recognizes ongoing concerns our customers have regarding our efforts on the sourcing of cotton used in our products. We fully acknowledge that, in 2022, we failed to meet our own standards on ethical sourcing. Since then, we have made a commitment to improving supply chain traceability and sourcing efforts. In response, we have a written and signed statement available below detailing the steps we take to ensure the cotton sourced for our supply chain upholds rigorous human rights standards and those set forth by our membership with the Fair Labor Association (FLA). 

Testing Requirements 

Our rigorous testing, traceability, and risk assessment process begins with testing our cotton at two phases during our sourcing process: 

1. On-site at the spinning mill after we place a purchase order for fabric; and 
2. At our Nicaragua warehouse facility after the completion of a garment’s production. 

Having these multiple checkpoints allows us greater insights and decision-making power into the yarn that makes it into our fabrics. We have been conducting our tests since 2022 with our partner Oritain, who specializes in genetic testing of cotton to determine its region of origin. Testing requirements and our relationship with Oritain are managed by our Sourcing department. 

Trust US Cotton Protocol 

NLA is committed to sourcing 100% of our cotton from the Unted States. We are bolstering our efforts to source US cotton by joining the Trust US Cotton Protocol (TUSCP), a traceability program for verifying purchases of US cotton. As of Q2 2025, our membership is in progress and we will be fully onboarded into the program by the end of 2025. We will collaborate with our existing supply-chain partner, Sierra Textiles, who is already an active member in TUSCP, to purchase and track raw materials made with TUSCP qualified cotton. The aim of our relationship with TUSCP is to gradually increase the share of our current US cotton purchases to cotton that is part of the TUSCP program. Other brands engaging with TUSCP include Target, Gildan, and Tesco. The onboarding of and continuous membership with TUSCP is managed by our Sourcing department. 

Compliance 

NLA maintains a separate Compliance team dedicated to traceability and risk assessment. As of 2024, the team leverages cutting-edge AI tools Altana and Mesur.io to assess risk of new mills entering our supply chain. The team shares risk assessment information with the Sourcing team and other stakeholders involved in the sourcing process to determine whether to move forward with a supplier. The team also conducts supply chain mapping and document collection to prepare for any potential interactions with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Compliance team is further supported by a Director of Responsible Business reporting to the COO who has experience in traceability, supply chain mapping, and risk assessment. 

Our Commitment 

We understand how important it is for our customers to know how NLA has tackled the question of our cotton origin. We relentlessly pursue creating the best apparel that is both ethically sourced and exceeds our customers’ expectations in this regard. We hope the signed commitment letter, downloadable below, provides clarity and demonstrates our commitment on our efforts. Please contact responsiblebusiness@nextlevelapparel.com for any questions.