 One of the most important aspects of sustainable and ethical fashion is the supply chain. Ethical Factories have certifications that ensure that they are using ethical practices, but we often find these factories go above and beyond to support people. THR3EFOLD has worked hard to gather the best community of factories who are doing great things to uplift their community through the production work you provide, here are a few stories to inspire your week.
 MOQs (minimum order quantity) don't just determine if you can work with a factory, but when used correctly they can also increase your sustainability. The minimum order quantity starts at the fabric level and typically determines how much production you purchase from there. So if you get really good with pattern cutting and design you can use all of that fabric to eliminate waste. Here's some ideas for designing for the minimum order quantity to increase sustainability.
 Online reselling platforms have become huge. However, brands suffer because they are not receiving any financial compensation. Some brands have decided to take it into their own hands by reselling their own items. With the thought of sustainability in mind reselling is a great way for brands to add to their revenue, here's how.
 Finding ethical factories can be a daunting task in and of itself. Most people do not know what standards a factory should have to be considered ethical in the first place. But if you are just starting out you not only need standards, you need a factory willing to offer lower minimum production orders. Some factory minimum order quantity is 2,000 units per style per color...yep that's a lot. Here's how to find a low minimum ethical factory overseas.
 There is an underlying assumption that "Made in USA" is synonymous with high labor standards and good working conditions. Many people choose to support "Made in USA" products because it boosts our economy and avoids the exploitative labor practices seen on the news globally. But does an address automatically ensure high labor practices? No. The US faces factory labor issues too and that is why we always encourage you to dig deeper and do your due diligence.
 We get a lot of new brand inquiries to go into production for the first time. We love helping new brands launch, but we see one commonality with almost all of our new brand inquiries. They are missing the key item that they should have before they approach a factory. Here's what you need for a ready made garment factory inquiry.
 It is common knowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic is upending the fashion industry. From a 27-30% global revenue contraction to mass amounts of employees being furloughed, the fashion industry has taken a serious hit. So what are sustainable fashion companies doing to stay afloat? It would be natural to think that one of the first things to go in a time like this are their sustainable and ethical practices that are more expensive than their alternatives. Examples of this may be producing at manufacturing facilities that don’t enforce fair wages, benefits for workers, and other ethical practices or perhaps switching from organic cotton to regular cotton to cut costs and save money during this financial crisis. Anything to avoid bankruptcy, right? Looking at a few different companies that employ sustainable and ethical practices, their experience took a different turn and the reasons might surprise you.
 Finding the perfect garment manufacturer to produce your clothes can feel impossible. There is an overwhelming amount of options online but most factories have awful websites making them difficult to find. In fact, finding a garment factory is often still conducted via word of mouth. And that's just finding a factory, not assessing their ethical and sustainability standards and quality. So once you've done the hard work of finding a garment factory, what do you do to get the highest quality production possible? Creating a great relationship when working with your garment factory is key to great production, and here's 5 ways to manage that.
 We've all heard of the dangers of being a small brand in a busy factory that suddenly gets a massive order leaving your stuff pushed aside and late, well we discovered Quavaro during a weekend getaway to Washington DC and were inspired by their story of turning a manufacturing disaster into a fully vertical ethical supply chain as they navigated manufacturing in Mexico. Take a peak into the process of starting an ethically made in Mexico brand with husband and wife team Cesar and Pial Vega, founders of Quavaro.
 Levi's estimates it takes 998 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans. This is crazy. The process of making denim is notorious for a massive waste of water, excessive chemical use, and little use of recycled material. But here's how one company is using technology to produce denim with one glass of water.
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