Sourcing an ethical activewear factory is an essential step for brands that value both the quality of their products and the impact they have on people and the planet.
As the demand for sustainable, ethically produced activewear grows, finding quality, and ethical factories that adhere to these values has become more crucial—and challenging.
This top 10 guide will walk you through the key steps and considerations to ensure that your brand’s activewear products are manufactured with integrity, transparency, and responsibility.
1. Understand What “Ethical” Means for Your Brand
Before diving into factory selection, it’s crucial for you to define what “ethical” means to your brand. Ethics in manufacturing can cover a range of criteria, including fair wages, safe working conditions, environmentally friendly practices, and transparency.
Consider the following points to clarify your brand’s ethics:
- Worker Rights: Does the factory provide fair wages, reasonable working hours, and safe conditions?
- Environmental Responsibility: Does the factory use sustainable materials, reduce waste, recycle, and minimise water and energy use?
- Transparency and Traceability: Does the factory disclose its sourcing practices and partner details, and can it trace all raw materials?
Setting clear ethical standards will streamline your search and make it easier to communicate your values to potential factory partners.
2. Research Factories with Proven Ethical Standards
Sourcing an ethical factory starts with thorough research. Begin by looking at factopries with established certifications or reputations for ethical practices. Some valuable resources for this include:
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): This certification covers the organic status of textiles and ensures environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing.
- Fair Trade Certified: Factories with this certification follow strict guidelines around worker treatment and fair pay.
- Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI): This certification promotes ethical treatment of workers and provides regular audits.
- Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP): WRAP is a certification that assesses factories’ compliance with ethical and environmental standards.
These certifications are an excellent starting point because they reflect a commitment to ethical practices and often require ongoing audits. However, a certification alone may not guarantee the level of responsibility your brand seeks, so deeper vetting is necessary.
Ask to see the factories latest certificate and if possible, follow up with the auditing company to make sure its genuine!
3. Prioritise Local or Regional Sourcing
When selecting n ethical sportswear factory, it can be beneficial to choose one that is regionally close to your brand’s headquarters or target market. Regional sourcing reduces the carbon footprint associated with long-distance shipping and allows for closer oversight.
Additionally, some regions have stronger labour and environmental regulations, which can make ethical sourcing slightly easier.
For example, if your brand operates in the US or Europe, you might explore options within North or Central America, or within Europe itself who are very prominent in the development of performance sportswar. While it may cost more, it often aligns better with your brand values such as sustainability and transparency.
If price and flexibility is key, then the Far East may still be your best option as there are many ethical factories in China. (don’t believe everything you read from the US press)!
4. Visit the Factory in Person
Visiting the factory allows you to verify claims firsthand and establish a personal relationship with the management and merchandisers you will be working with. When visiting in person is impractical, especially if the factory is in another country, consider a virtual tour or third-party video inspection. During these inspections, you’ll want to:
- Observe the working conditions, such as lighting, ventilation, and workstation safety.
- Check for signs of ethical practices in action, such as the absence of child labour and evidence of fair treatment of employees.
- Review any posted workplace policies on wage transparency, grievance mechanisms, and environmental practices.
- Look at the production on the factory floor. If they make for a big, quality brand, then the chances are, they are legitimate.
By directly observing how the factory operates, you can gain confidence in the authenticity of its claims and determine whether it aligns with your brand’s standards.
Note that not all factories will take the time to video the factory for you, so you might need to contact a local videographer to do this for you.
5. Ask Detailed Questions During the Vetting Process
Open communication is critical to sourcing an ethical factory. Prepare a list of specific questions and requests, including:
- Labour Practices: Ask about wage structures, hours worked, overtime compensation, and age verification processes. Ask to see their ledger.
- Environmental Commitments: Inquire about waste management, emissions, material sourcing, and energy usage.
- Transparency and Traceability: Request information on sourcing and the specific materials used in production. Traceability helps ensure that each component—such as fabric, dyes, and packaging—meets ethical standards. Please remember that fabrics are usually made in a 3rd party fabric mill, so this information will need to be obtained directly from the mill or trim supplier.
- Certifications and Audits: Ask for copies of recent audits, as well as documentation of any certifications. If they claim to follow an ethical code, request to see examples of it in practice.
Don’t be afraid to ask for specific documents or records. Factories that are truly committed to ethical practices should be prepared to offer clear, transparent responses.
6. Review the Factory’s History and Client References
Another effective step in your search is to check the factory’s history and references. Look for sportswear factories with a track record of working with ethical brands, particularly those with a reputation for social responsibility.
This history can be a good indicator of the factory’s long-term commitment to ethical practices. When possible, speak to their existing or past clients about their experiences, particularly regarding transparency, communication, and follow-through on ethical promises.
Some factories are under NDA’s and cannot truly disclose who they make for, so don’t be too put off if you come across this issue.
7. Verify Sustainable Materials and Eco-Friendly Processes
For activewear, materials are especially important because of the fabrics’ close contact with skin and the demanding conditions they are used in. Fabrics are not typically sourced or produced in the factory that make the products. The fabrics are made in fbric mills and so you may want to dig deeper and make sure the fabric mills comply with your ethical requirements too.
Look for fabric mills that offer sustainable materials such as:
- Recycled Polyester or Nylon: Sourced from waste materials like plastic bottles or fabric scraps, these materials reduce the need for virgin resources.
- Organic Cotton: Certified organic cotton is grown without harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.
- Natural Fibers: Bamboo, hemp, and Tencel (made from wood pulp) are more sustainable than many synthetic options.
Make sure the fabric mill is equipped to handle these sustainable materials and employs eco-friendly processes such as low-impact dyes and water-saving production methods.
8. Set Up Ongoing Monitoring and Audits
Ethical sportswear sourcing is not a “set it and forget it” process. Once you’ve chosen a factory, ongoing monitoring and auditing are essential to ensure continued compliance with ethical standards. Consider:
- Regular Audits: Schedule periodic audits, ideally by a third party, to confirm the factory’s adherence to your standards.
- Anonymous Employee Feedback: Implement a system that allows factory workers to submit feedback or concerns anonymously. This feedback can be invaluable in detecting issues that might not be apparent in formal audits.
- Frequent Communication: Keep in close contact with the factory management. Ethical practices can evolve, and staying in touch helps ensure you are both aligned with new standards and expectations.
If possible, establish a partnership model where both your brand and the sportswear factory work toward continuous improvement in ethical practices. Factories that are genuinely invested in ethical production will welcome feedback and embrace improvements.
9. Be Prepared for Higher Costs and Longer Timelines
Ethically produced activewear often comes with higher costs, as these factories invest in fair wages, lower hours, and eco-friendly practices. Additionally, some ethical factories have more extensive production timelines, especially if they’re using sustainable processes that take longer.
While this can affect your profit margins and timelines, it’s essential to remember that the investment is worthwhile for the positive social and environmental impact—and for attracting conscious consumers who value sustainability.
Many ethical and eco sportsear factories will pass on the costs of working this way onto their clients. They are also in demend and so any new clients may be subject to a development charge per style to help cover these higher costs. It’s not uncommon for European sportswear factopries to chare €1,000 per style to manage the development.
10. Communicate Your Ethical Standards to Customers
Once you’ve chosen an ethical activewear factory, leverage this commitment in your brand story. Share your sourcing journey, certifications, and what makes your factory a responsible partner. Customers appreciate transparency and are more likely to trust brands that openly share their ethical practices.
You might want to create a sub page to host certain proof and certificates as these may not align to your brand language and design.
Highlight the benefits of your ethical sourcing efforts on your website, social media, and product descriptions. Share stories from factory visits or audits to show consumers how their purchases make a positive impact. Today’s customers are not only seeking quality products but are also eager to support companies that prioritize ethical practices.
Rememebr, product sourcing is only part of the journey. You need to look in house too. Make sure you are also ethical in your standards and make sure everyone that touches your brand and products also have ethical and sustainable proctices in place.
Sourcing an ethical activewear factory may require time, effort, and investment, but the impact on your brand’s reputation—and the planet—makes it worth every step. By prioritising fair labour practices, sustainable materials, and ongoing transparency, you’ll not only produce quality activewear but also contribute to a healthier, more ethical industry.
In the end, ethical sourcing is about creating a partnership where your brand and your factory share a common goal: to make products that are good for people, the environment, and the industry as a whole.
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