Supply Chain Archives

Radical Transparency Starts Here

by Ilsa Spaan | Apr 27, 2023 | Cotton of the Carolinas, Our Community, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Transparency

Today, overseas manufacturing operations make up 98% of the clothing we purchase here in the United States. In this situation, it’s difficult to learn anything about where our clothes come from, and difficult to exercise our buying power to influence the market. We...

People, Planet, Profit: The Triple Bottom Line Leads Us into 2022

by Courtney Lockemer | Feb 7, 2022 | Dye House, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Transparency

People. Planet. Profit. The Triple Bottom Line has been our vision for years now. But like every business that’s faced unusual challenges in the last year, it hasn’t always been easy. TS Designs President Eric Henry says it’s been like juggling water. We’re...

Does Transparency in the Fashion Industry Matter? We Say, “Yes!”

by Julie J. Novara | Nov 1, 2021 | Supply Chain, Sustainability, Transparency

Merriam-Webster says transparency is “the quality or state of being transparent – characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices.” If you’ve followed our work for any length of time, you’ve heard us talk...

How Shopping for the Lowest Price Undermines Cotton Farmers

by Julie J. Novara | Oct 25, 2021 | Supply Chain, Sustainability, Transparency

Shopping for the lowest price has become a sport of sorts. End-of-the-season clearance sales and special holiday pricing has won many of us over, and we’ve gotten used to celebrating when we’ve scored a good deal. Sarah Kelley, Principal of Common Threads Consulting,...

Why Buyers and Brands Should Rethink the Way We Pay Cotton Farmers

by Julie J. Novara | Oct 18, 2021 | Supply Chain, Sustainability, Transparency

In a multi-billion-dollar global industry, farmers have become invisible. Though they’re essential to every aspect of our daily lives — from food to clothing—they’re often forgotten. Sowing their seeds, hoping for rain (but not too much). Waiting for harvest, and then...

Why Family Farmers Need an Effective Alternative to Commodity Pricing

by Julie J. Novara | Oct 4, 2021 | Supply Chain, Transparency

“A product is a commodity when all units of production are identical, regardless of who produces them.” – Don Hofstrand, Agricultural Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Family farmers are at the very beginning of the agricultural supply...