We want to offer you a high-quality, affordable product and it’s important to us that the people making our products are being paid a fair wage and have safe working conditions. We have been working with the same supplier in China since 2015 and these are some of the steps we take to ensure ethical sourcing: - We periodically request pictures and video of the working conditions. - We ask that the photos and video clearly show the workers working on our product as a reassurance that we're not receiving stock photos/video of another factory. - We also ask to see all 13 steps of our manufacturing process. Each time we review these photos and videos, we find that the workers are dressed comfortably and the working conditions we see in these pictures/video show a clean, organized, well-lit workspace.   Here are a few more facts about our supplier:  - Our factory does not employ anyone under the age of 18 (it is prohibited by law and the penalties for breaking this law extend beyond fines to detainment of factory management/ownership).  - The workers are paid based on quality over quantity.  - Management evaluates excellent employees every month and gives monetary rewards. - New workers must pass examinations after training to ensure their safety. - There are many warning/safety signs and frequent inspections. Also noteworthy is that our supplier manufactures products for many major brands. One such brand is Tommy Hilfiger which is part of PVH – a group known to be very committed to supply chain transparency. (You can read about them here and see that they ranked among the top 25% in an independent Fashion Transparency Index.) As you can imagine, big brands like Tommy Hilfiger have entire teams of people and significant financial resources dedicated to their supply chain management. Knowing that our manufacturer meets the demanding requirements of brands like this is an additional assurance to our small business that they are upstanding.