Fashion companies are finding that incorporating ethical business practices into their manufacturing strategies isn't only good public relations, it's smart business practice as well.>Executives contend that factories with good working conditions adopt disciplines that generally lead to better quality control and a more efficient production schedule. Similarly, those firms that take ecological concerns seriously, such as stripping greenhouse gas emissions out of the supply chain, can also streamline costs and time to market.

Here is how Gap and Timberland are striving to achieve those goals.