Who made your clothes? No, not the designer — who stitched your jeans, and where was that person working?
On Thursday, one year after an eight-story garment factory near Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed and killed more than 1,100 workers and injured 2,500 more, people around the world are being encouraged to ask those kinds of questions.
It’s part of a movement to spark change within the fashion industry and make people more aware of the real cost of inexpensive clothing.
April 24 has been deemed Fashion Revolution Day, and its founding organization has launched a worldwide social media campaign urging consumers to turn their outfits inside-out and take a good look at the label.
While they are at it, they are also encouraged to snap a picture with the label clearly visible, post it on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram with the hashtag #InsideOut, tag the brand or store and ask them about who made their clothes.
“At the moment of purchase, most of us are unaware of the processes and impacts involved in the creation of a garment,” the Fashion Revolution Day website reads. “We need to reconnect through a positive narrative, to understand that we aren’t just purchasing a garment or accessory, but a whole chain of value and relationships.”
Fashion Revolution Day is also calling for supply chain transparency.
Companies aren’t always aware of who grew the cotton or dyed the fabric that became a shirt. According to the organization, some fast fashion retailers didn’t know even days later whether their brand was being produced at the Rana Plaza building.
“We believe knowing who made our clothes is the first step in transforming the fashion industry, the Fashion Revolution Day website says. “Knowing who made our clothes requires transparency, and this implies openness, honesty, communication and accountability.”
And then there is the wage issue. Cheap labor has helped some fast-fashion retailers keep prices low at a high cost.
Bangladesh’s textile sector employs about 4 million people, most of whom are women, and it accounts for nearly 80% of the country’s total exports, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Export Association.
Even though the country’s minimum wage for garment workers was raised from about $38 a month to about $66 in November, it is still one of the lowest in the world.
But boycotting isn’t the answer, according to the Ethical Trading Initiative. In fact, it could make things worse for the workers. The organization instead offers a suggestion along the lines of the Fashion Revolution Day movement — ask questions about where your clothes are made and let the companies know that you care about how they treat their workers.
So, have things improved for Bangladeshi factory workers since the tragedy in April 2013?
Western brands have taken steps to push for safer Bangladeshi factories.
More than 150 apparel brands, including H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch and Adidas, signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, 26 American and Canadian retailers including Walmart, Target and Nordstrom, formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.
However, according to the Human Rights Watch, companies aren’t doing enough to support those who were impacted by the disaster.
“One year after Rana Plaza collapsed, far too many victims and their families are at serious risk of destitution,” deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said. “International garment brands should be helping the injured and the dependents of dead workers who manufactured their clothes.”
The fundraising goal for the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, which is chaired by the International Labour Organization, is $40 million. As of Thursday, just $16 million of that had been raised.
Companies including Primark and Loblaw have pledged, and Walmart, the Gap Foundation and the VF Foundation pitched in through BRAC USA.
The U.S. state department said in a statement that it also believes there is work to be done.
“The Bangladesh government’s hiring of inspectors is lagging, and the results of inspections need to be made publicly available on an easily accessible database,” the statement says. “The government of Bangladesh must also do more to ensure protection when workers face intimidation and reprisals for trying to organize. Addressing these issues would help workers secure safer working conditions and better wages and enable Bangladesh to realize its full economic potential.”
With News Wire Services
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