 Choosing an ethical factory to partner with involves a lot of thought and research. Knowing what to look for and which questions to ask are important in establishing the ethical credentials of the factory and whether it is a good ‘fit’ for you. We reached out to Ellen Saville, one of our sustainability experts and co-founder of the fantastic deadstock knitwear brand - The Endery - for her thoughts on the matter. Ellen has a wealth of experience in this field having worked with Latin American artisans in the handmade textiles industry and launched sustainable productions for well known brands such as Nike, and Banana Republic. Let's find out what she had to say.
 What is Sedex’s SMETA certification? And how can your suppliers implement it to ensure that production processes within their factories are upholding workers rights? We have explored SA8000 and WRAP certifications in previous posts, today let’s take a look at SMETA.
 What is WRAP certification? And how can it ensure that production processes within your garment factories are fair and safe for your workers? We explored SA8000 certification in a previous post, today let's take a look at WRAP...
 How do we select which garment factories to add to our platform? This is one of the most common questions we get, and it's because the social compliance process for suppliers is so unknown and confusing. Our mission at THR3EFOLD is to provide brands with faster discovery and easier decision making in their sustainable sourcing journey. Certification is the first step so let's take a peek at some of the certifications that we use to verify a factory’s ethical credentials for THR3EFOLD.
 There are so many terrible stories detailing the atrocious treatment of garment workers that we can sometimes forget to celebrate the small victories when they occur. A growing awareness has seen a groundswell of support from consumers, fashion influences, activists, non-profits, and government legislators resulting in significant progress in the fight towards the ethical treatment of garment workers. Last year was particularly momentous. Let's take a look at three key feats in 2021 that moved the industry forward and improved garment worker rights in apparel.
 Disruptions in the supply chain are completely out of your control and this past year your patience has been tested more than ever. We know how frustrating delays can be during your production. You run the risk of not even having product to sell in seasonally important moments on the calendar. Here's how your brand can be better prepared to navigate the supply chain in these uncertain times.
 Fabrics are often the most expensive part of a garment, and sustainable fabrics can be very expensive. Deadstock fabric is a great way to be sustainable by reducing fabric waste while cutting down costs on your cost of goods sold. Most factories have leftover fabric from previous production runs, you just have to ask. Sourcing deadstock fabric is a great way to get your feet wet when you're heading towards becoming a fully sustainable brand. Here's how you can design for deadstock fabric successfully:
 All clothing has a "Made in" line on the tag, but how does that help you know that it was made in an ethical factory? Well, it doesn't. This "Made In" label, only indicates the final destination where the pattern pieces were sewn together. There are many garments labeled "Made In New York" when 90% of the construction occurred overseas. So obviously, the tagging system used today needs some work if it's desired outcome is transparency and standards. Here's how it needs to change.
 Starting with US manufacturing is common for emerging brands, but as you scale you may find being price competitive a real hurdle. Making the jump to overseas manufacturing can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. Knowing which boxes need to be checked before starting the process of overseas apparel manufacturing will save you tons of time and money. Here's what you'll need in order to be ready to make the leap to overeseas production.
 Before moving forward, your production checklist should have all of it's marks to ensure that you're going to meet your production time goals. Knowing what roadblocks and time delays could cause for delays need to be known ahead of time so you're prepared. Here's what you need to know:
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