About this episode

This episode discusses the shortcomings of factory audits and emphasizes the importance of real partnerships in apparel sourcing.

Why Factory Audits FAIL and What Smart Apparel Brands Should Do Instead with Anna Triponel Factory audits are not enough. If you want to build a stronger apparel brand, protect your margins, reduce sourcing risk, and create better factory relationships, this episode is essential. In this conversation, Rachel sits down with Anna Triponel, a leading expert in sourcing, human rights, and supply chain accountability, to unpack what really makes a factory partnership work. They break down why third-party audits and supplier profiles can create a false sense of security, what brands should be doing instead, and how smarter sourcing decisions can improve quality, resilience, transparency, and long-term business growth. Anna explains why the future of sourcing is moving away from top-down compliance and toward real partnership, where brands work alongside suppliers instead of policing them from a distance. She also shares why poor purchasing practices, last-minute changes, race-to-the-bottom pricing, and weak internal leadership can quietly create major human rights and operational risks across the supply chain. Sign up for the Secrets Behind Billion Dollar Apparel Brands Masterclass…

People in this episode

Host: Rachel Erickson

Guest: Anna Triponel

Topics covered

• factory audits
• apparel brands
• sourcing
• supply chain
• human rights
• partnerships

Keywords

• factory audits
• apparel brands
• sourcing risk
• supply chain accountability
• human rights
• partnership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Secrets Behind Billion Dollar Apparel Brands Masterclass, The Board

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