Can you see right through them? Impact Reporting and Transparency in Textiles
In the wake of Purnaa’s most recent impact report, we’re discussing how transparency and traceability are key components of ethical brands and help to protect textiles workers around the world…
Why are we bombarding you with figures, you might be asking? Because we want to be transparent about this month’s blog on supply chain transparency, of course!
Like a growing number of consumers, we believe that you should be able to track the garment-making process from raw material - be it cotton, bamboo or cellulose - to finished product; from our own beautiful laptop cases, to workout leggings, handbags and headbands.
This is a huge part of what it means to be an ethical supply chain. The most recent impact report from Purnaa, our Nepal-based manufacturer, is a fantastic example. But more on that in due course…
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Most textile supply chains are lengthy, complex and increasingly fragmented – and would probably be better described as supply ‘webs’. Many different agents, contractors and subcontractors help take raw materials to the finished product that might land on your doorstep. As a result, seeing the whole web from all different angles becomes very difficult. Exploitation of people and environments thrives in the hidden corners of these webs, where those who have the responsibility and power to correct these practices -from factory owners to national politicians - are yet to be held accountable.
The many different stages of the textile manufacturing process are often split into tiers corresponding to each stage in the manufacturing process.
- Tier 1 manufacturers: have direct business relationships with suppliers involved in the final stages of production, e.g. cutting, sewing, assembling and packing.
- Tier 2, 3, 4, 5 manufacturers: where fabrics are knitted or woven, textiles are treated or laundered, yarns are spun and dyed, fibres are sorted and processed and raw materials are grown and picked.
Crucially, Fashion Revolution’s 2023 Annual Transparency Index, reviewing 250 global textiles/fashion brands’ public disclosures on human rights and environmental issues, discovered that:
- 52% of brands publicly disclosed their first-tier manufacturers
- 36% of brands published processing facilities beyond the first-tier
- 12% of brands published selected raw material suppliers.
As an ethical textiles brand, we know that the workers we don’t see are those most vulnerable to exploitation.
How do you, the consumer, keep supply chain transparency in mind when you shop? How do we, the brand, hold this multi-tiered supply web accountable to ethical standards?
We’re glad you asked! This is where Impact Reporting comes in.
Impact Reporting
Impact Reports are documents detailing an organisation’s positive social, environmental and economic effects through numerical data and testimonials. They demonstrate tangible outcomes, progress and achievements over a distinct period.
This is a supremely effective way to communicate the values and the journey of an organisation, alongside the quantitative facts, with creativity, authenticity, and above all transparency. At its best, the content of impact reporting both informs and inspires its audience, and is accessible for consumers and professional stakeholders alike.
Much like Purnaa’s own mission statement, its annual impact reports tell a meaningful and memorable story of transformation amongst marginalised individuals and their wider community. By publicly declaring their progress year after year, alongside the challenges they have faced, Purnaa has displayed genuine commitment to ongoing change in the textiles industry and transparency with their supporters.
Here are some of the highlights of Purnaa’s 2025 impact report:
- Completed construction of their purpose-built factory building, with more than double the number of lights in their production spaces to aid workers’ visibility.
- Growth in the team through 53 new employees, who received orientation, life skills training, technical skills training, and three months of salary assistance as they honed their skills and built their efficiency.
- New contracts with local bus owners ensuring free transportation for employees to and from the new factory.
- Launch of a new staff learning and development program to assist staff with access to counselling, and to help them during emergencies.
Purnaa also uses its impact reports to communicate the challenges they face and the improvements they are making for the next year. For example, major damage to their primary road to the office in July restricted vehicle access for the remainder of the year. Devastating floods in September severely impacted a number of employees, and forced Purnaa to temporarily shut down their operations. As they look to 2026, Purnaa aims to see more of their biggest customers using their home-compostable sustainable packaging. Another goal is to start reporting their total emissions from import and export air shipping, which constitutes a huge part of their CO2 emissions and environmental impact.
We at Threads of Life are so grateful to partner with a manufacturer who is as honest about their shortfalls as they are about their successes. Total honesty about the good and the bad, the seen and the unseen, is the first crucial step to textiles brands upholding transparency throughout their supply web.
The Threads of Life supply web
And so, let’s practice what we preach! Threads of Life reached out to Purnaa for a bit more information about their suppliers – our own tier 2, 3, and 4 manufacturers who source and prepare the fabrics that eventually form our beautiful unique laptop cases. Tune in to next month’s blog to get into the knitty gritty (pun intended) of what really goes into your Threads of Life laptop, from origin materials, to the cultural heritage of Nepalese fabrics.
Our November deal!
In honour of our founder, Fiona, recently celebrating a milestone birthday, we are excited to offer our tote bag and laptop case gift sets for £40 each during November!
