Fruit of the Loom Named Recipient of the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence

BOWLING GREEN, K.Y., January 29, 2014 – Fruit of the Loom, Inc., has been named a recipient of the 2013 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE), which recognizes the important role U.S. businesses play abroad as good corporate citizens. One of three winners this year, Fruit of the Loom, Inc. is being recognized by the U.S. State Department for its exemplary corporate citizenship practices in Honduras, including pioneering union advancements at its local garment manufacturing facilities.

BOWLING GREEN, K.Y., January 29, 2014 – Fruit of the Loom, Inc., has been named a recipient of the 2013 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE), which recognizes the important role U.S. businesses play abroad as good corporate citizens. One of three winners this year, Fruit of the Loom, Inc. is being recognized by the U.S. State Department for its exemplary corporate citizenship practices in Honduras, including pioneering union advancements at its local garment manufacturing facilities.

This year’s ACE award honors Fruit of the Loom, Inc.’s work in Honduras, where the company is one of the country’s largest private employers, citing its work in:
• Forging a ground-breaking collective bargaining agreement with its workers, which has become a model for the Central America region;
• Recognizing unions and adopting of a union-neutral policy at all of its assembly facilities in Honduras;
• Providing more than 10,000 health screenings for people in local communities;
• Engaging in environmental stewardship through reducing carbon emissions and providing ecological stoves to rural areas.

“Fruit of the Loom is focused on the well-being of our employees and on leaving a positive impact on the communities in which we operate,” said Rick Medlin, President and CEO, Fruit of the Loom, Inc. “We are particularly proud of the progress we have made in our facilities in Honduras, and are committed to increasing the social and economic strength of individuals and groups touched by the manufacture and use of our products all around the world.”

The Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence was established by the State Department in 1999 to recognize American companies that are leaders in socially responsible activities and contribute to the overall growth and development of the local economy in which they work. The annual award is part of the State Department’s commitment to further advocate corporate social responsibility, innovation, exemplary practices, and democratic values worldwide.

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Three hundred companies were considered for this year’s ACE and the winners will be announced at a ceremony tonight in Washington D.C., hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. This is the first ACE award nomination and subsequent win for Fruit of the Loom, Inc.

For more information on Fruit of the Loom, Inc.’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and other initiatives, visit www.fotlinc.com.

About Fruit of the Loom, Inc.

Fruit of the Loom, Inc., is a global pioneer, specializing in the design, manufacture, and marketing of a number of iconic family apparel, athletic apparel, and sporting equipment brands including Vanity Fair®, Fruit of the Loom®, Spalding® and Russell Athletic®. Each of our brands practice the relentless pursuit of better, by striving to create innovative apparel and equipment that fits well, feels great and helps make amazing things possible. Fruit of the Loom, Inc., actively seeks ways to be best-in-class in social and environmental responsibility in the communities it serves around the world. For more information, visit fruit.com.