The Garment Supply Chain
One of the most apparent aims of Unraveled is to pull back the curtain on the different steps in the Garment Supply Chain. Supply Chain Research is generally quite difficult. Companies are not usually required to release information about their supply chain, and since the supply chain can give a company a competitive edge, it's unusual for companies to voluntarily release that information.
That's part of what makes Unraveled such a compelling read. It dives into first hand accounts of information that is generally very difficult to find.
Below are some additional options for learning more about the garment supply chain.
Agriculture
- FAOStatA source of economic data for all types of agriculture around the world. Includes Trade, Production, Supply, Price, and other environmental data.
- Quick StatsA source for economic data for U.S. Agricultural products and concepts. Data is available on the state, county, or local levels, and goes back to the 1850's.
- USDA - ESMIS (Economics Statistics and Market Information System)The USDA Economics, Statistics and Market Information System (ESMIS) contains over 2,100 publications from five agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These materials cover U.S. and international agriculture and related topics. Mann Library at Cornell University developed and maintains this site.
- AGRICOLAProduced by the National Agricultural Library, AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) contains bibliographic records of materials acquired by the National Agricultural Library and cooperating institutions in agricultural and related sciences. Records come from the NAL Online Public Access Catalog and NAL's Article Citation Database. The catalog provides citations to books, serials, pamphlets, government documents, research reports, FAO and USDA publications, conference proceedings, and translations, patents, audiovisuals and technical reports. The article database provides citations to journal articles, book chapters, reports and reprints. Coverage includes: agricultural administration, laws and regulations, economics, education, training and extension, engineering and products; animal science; aquatic sciences; chemistry; energy as related to agriculture; entomology; feed science; food science and food products; forestry; general agriculture; geography, meteriology, climatology and history; home economics and human ecology; human nutrition; institutional food service; life sciences; natural resources management and environmental pollution; pesticides; plant diseases; plant science and production; rural sociology; soil science; veterinary medicine. Coverage from 1970 to the present.
- CAB AbstractsCAB Abstracts covers the significant research and development literature in the fields of agricultural engineering, applied economics and sociology, animal production, animal health, animal nutrition, aquaculture, biofuels, biosafety and bioterrorism, biotechnology, breeding, chemistry, climate change, crop science and grasslands, ecotourism, entomology, environmental science, food science and technology, forestry, genetics (molecular genetics, cytogenetics, population genetics, genomics), helminthology, horticultural science, human nutrition, invasive species, leisure and tourism (recreation), medicinal plants and pharmacology, microbiology, mycology, natural resources, land/water management, nematology, organic and sustainable agriculture, parasitology, plant pathology, plant protection, postharvest, protozoology, soil science, veterinary medicine, virology, waste management.
Reuse & Recycling
- EPA Information on RecyclingGeneral data and information on recycling in the U.S. compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency.
- EvrnuEvrnu has invented a truly regenerative fiber made from post-consumer cotton textile waste.
- Council for Textile RecyclingThe Council for Textile Recycling (CTR) is the United States leading 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the importance of textile recycling and the need to reduce the amount of used clothing and other post-consumer textile waste (PCTW ) being sent to our nation's landfills.
Garment Manufacturing
"Manufacturing" encompasses various potential processes in the supply chain from spinning to weaving, to dyeing to cutting, to sewing and potentially much more.
Information on actual manufacturing processes are notoriously difficult to find. Companies are not required to release information on how they create items. As a matter of fact, most companies will make every effort to keep this information private because the manufacturing process may give them a competitive edge. This is why Maxine had to visit factories to learn about the manufacturing process.
Industry Reports can give you an idea of what is important to some manufacturers. There will be little, if any, information on the process however.
- IBISWorldIBISWorld provides industry research reports and profiles for over 700 United States industries as well as a wide range of industries in China. Business reports for five categories: industry market research, industry risk ratings, company research, global industry research, and economic and demographic data. Each report provides key statistics, market characteristics and segmentation, industry conditions, leading competitors, industry performance analysis and future outlook.
- BizminerProvides detailed industry analysis and market research reports on more than 16,000 lines of business in national and local markets. Their many uses include valuation, business plans, due diligence and competitive benchmarking. Industry reports cover profit and loss, balance sheets, financial ratios, start-up trends, and more. Financial reports allow you to compare businesses in a specific sales class and geographic area to industry average benchmarks and competitors.
Wholesale & Retail
- Mintel AcademicOffers yearly market research reports covering UK, Europe, US and International consumer markets for products, markets and demographics. Analysis includes market sizes and forecasts, market trends, market segmentation, competitive context, broken down segment performances, retail channels, consumer demographics and survey results, leading companies, brand share, marketing strategies, and more.
- PassportExcellent resource for international industries, countries, markets, and products. Market research reports, statistics, and analyst reports cover consumer market sizes, country market data, forecasts, consumer lifestyles, companies and brands, and many product & location specific reports.
- TechnavioTechnavio provides market research reports for a variety of global industries, including technology, healthcare, retail, energy, aerospace, consumer goods and automotive. Unlimited report viewing is available, but each Cornell email address is limited to 20 downloads per month.
- SimplyAnalyticsSimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping application that allows you to create thematic maps and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data for the United States. Excellent source for locating demographic and marketing data for specific geographic locations.
- StatistaStatista provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.