Criterion Sourcing Index
Verification should tell you
exactly what was checked.
TAC verifies individual claims and preserves the source behind each one. We do not turn an accessible website, certification logo, or client list into a blanket endorsement.
Current coverage
143 profiles have completed desk verification.
The wider research map contains 4055 records. Records that have not completed review remain visibly marked as discovery or directory evidence and are excluded from the manufacturer-profile sitemap.
TAC desk-verified
The minimum public verification standard
- An official manufacturer-controlled source is active.
- The source supports the manufacturer identity.
- The source supports at least one production capability.
- A working contact or quote route is visible.
- The review date and six-month expiry are published.
Desk verification is not a physical inspection, product-quality test, financial assessment, or guarantee that the manufacturer will accept a particular order.
Claim-specific badges
Higher-risk claims require stronger evidence.
- MOQ confirmed: the number appears on the official source and the profile identifies whether it applies per style, color, size, or order whenever the source states that scope.
- Certification confirmed: a current issuing-registry entry or scope certificate identifies the facility and relevant process.
- Labor evidence confirmed: independent assessment, worker-ownership evidence, or another named source supports the claim.
- Brand relationship confirmed: the brand—not only the manufacturer—discloses the facility relationship.
Recommendation standard
Ethical and high-quality evidence changes the ranking.
Manufacturer self-description does not earn an ethical badge. TAC gives additional weight to independent labor evidence, worker-centred due diligence, registry-confirmed certifications, natural or traceable material capability, technical development, testing, and quality-control services. Open high-severity labor, safety, environmental, or quality evidence removes a facility from automated recommendations until review.
A relationship with a known brand is treated as provenance—not proof of quality or ethics. Brand-side disclosures with published due-diligence standards are stronger than manufacturer client lists.
What end customers reward
Quality, durability, and material integrity shape the score.
Natural fibers earn a quality premium
In a 13-country survey of 13,026 consumers, comfort, quality, and durability were leading apparel purchase drivers. Fifty-nine percent said they would pay more for natural-fiber clothing; quality was cited by 63% of those willing to pay more.
How TAC uses it: Prioritize material competence and durable construction rather than using sustainability language as a substitute for quality.
Quality and durability support repeat purchase
In a 2025 survey of 1,007 US apparel shoppers, 45% referenced quality or durability when describing what would make them repeat customers.
How TAC uses it: Technical development, construction, testing, and quality-control evidence belong in manufacturer matching.
Durability is a mainstream purchase driver
WRAP reports that 62% of surveyed shoppers regarded durability as a top purchase driver and cautions that fiber type or fabric weight alone does not determine durability.
How TAC uses it: Do not equate natural fibers automatically with quality; retain product testing and construction evidence as separate fields.
Responsible-company benchmarks
We study disclosed supply chains, not client-logo walls.
Patagonia
Publishes factories and material suppliers and describes a four-fold supplier screen covering business, quality, environmental, and social standards, with ILO-based workplace requirements.
How TAC uses it: Brand-disclosed factory relationships can support provenance and due-diligence evidence, but do not establish emerging-brand availability.
Reformation
Discloses Tier 1 manufacturers and subcontractors and describes independent third-party social assessments, corrective-action plans, and supplier authorization states.
How TAC uses it: A brand-side disclosure and named assessment process are stronger evidence than a manufacturer client-logo page.
Fair Wear member brands
Fair Wear publishes Brand Performance Checks assessing how member brands embed human-rights due diligence and align with internationally recognized standards.
How TAC uses it: Worker-centred, public due-diligence evidence should influence responsibility scoring; membership alone does not verify each factory.
A factory relationship with a well-known brand is not proof of quality, ethics, current authorization, or willingness to accept emerging brands. An ultra-fast-fashion relationship alone is not a facility-level violation, but facilities surfaced only through that provenance are not recommended without independent review.
Manufacturer-side benchmarks
Good production evidence is operational, not aesthetic.
Blue Tin Production
Blue Tin describes itself as worker-owned and worker-run and publishes a target of directing 60% of revenue to labor and benefits, with profits shared by worker-owners. Idealist independently identifies the business as a worker cooperative.
How TAC uses it: Worker ownership is strong labor-governance evidence, but published compensation and ownership claims remain distinct from a factory audit or product-quality guarantee.
PuraKai Clothing
PuraKai publishes an integrated California workflow spanning patternmaking, sampling, cutting, sewing, packaging, and three garment inspections, alongside organic-cotton and traceability claims.
How TAC uses it: Integrated technical capability and explicit inspection steps improve a quality-oriented match; material and labor claims still require claim-specific verification.
Freshness and corrections
Verification expires.
Desk reviews expire after 180 days. Broken sources, conflicting evidence, expired certificates, or material profile changes return a record to the review queue. Manufacturers and readers can submit corrections, but a requested change is not published as verified until its evidence is checked.