Have a Heart (Brands Respond to Bangladesh)
On the heels of the awful, deadly Bangladesh Factory collapse that killed more than 1,100 people, H&M, Zara, Tommy Hilfiger & others have made a surprisingly heartfelt move. They, along with Dutch retailer C&A and British retailer Primark, signed an agreement that promises to overhaul the way health and safety is monitored in Bangladesh.
The five-year plan calls for independent safety inspections and for companies to publicly report the findings. It is backed by IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, which represent workers in 140 countries. It also requires retailers to help finance fire safety and building improvements in factories they work with. After a Bangladeshi sweater factory caught fire last week, killing eight, including a managing director of the company that owned the factory, brands were prompted to act. The fire accelerated efforts underway to get broader support for the deal.
Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel producer after China, but its industry is loosely regulated. H&M, based in Sweden, said those signing the agreement are committed to a garment industry “in which no worker needs to fear fires, building collapses or other accidents that could be prevented with reasonable health and safety measures.”
“The accord includes all of the components essential to be effective: independent safety inspections with public reports, mandatory repairs and renovations, the obligation by brands and retailers to underwrite the costs and to terminate business with any factory that refuses to make necessary safety upgrades, and a vital role for workers and their unions,” says Ineke Zeldenrust, a spokeswoman from the Clean Clothes Campaign, in a statement. “At the heart of the agreement is the commitment by companies to pay for the renovations and repairs necessary to make factory buildings in Bangladesh safe.”
Other businesses who outsource from Bangladesh are encouraged to to sign the accord before May 15, especially those brands whose labels or purchase orders were found in the rubble, including Benetton, The Children’s Place, El Corte Inglés, Cato Fashions, and Loblaw (which owns Joe Fresh).
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