H&M, the single largest buyer of garments from Bangladesh, is ‘dramatically behind schedule’ in making improvements in the factories it sources from, according to a study released October 1 by the Clean Clothes Campaign, in collaboration with several labour groups. The report only looked at H&M’s ‘Platinum’ and ‘Gold’ suppliers — the factories that supposedly boast the highest standards in labour and environmental protections. They account for 56 of the 229 factories H&M uses in Bangladesh. After the 2013 factory collapse at Savar’s Rana Plaza that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, more than 200 clothing brands from around the world signed a binding commitment to create a Bangladeshi 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.’ About 61 per cent did not have fire exits that met the Accord’s standards, which demand that fire exits have enclosed stairwells and fire-rated doors. Without those measures, exits can quickly fill with smoke in a fire, effectively trapping workers on a factory’s upper floors. The Clean Clothes campaign is a coalition of European organisations that advocates for garment workers’ rights. For this report, it collaborated with the International Labour Rights Forum, Maquila Solidarity Network, and Worker Rights Consortium, with research assistance from Fordham University’s School of Law. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Clean Clothes Campaign told Quartz India that the report focused on H&M because it was the largest buyer from Bangladesh, and therefore had significant leverage in the country. H&M has also ‘communicated to consumers through their sustainability reports that all significant repairs are complete,’ according to the spokesperson. The report was a way to independently check on those claims. Its analysis is based on publicly available information from factory-inspection reports and ‘corrective action plans’ disclosed by the organisation behind the Accord. H&M issued a press release in response, stating that every factory H&M sources from meets the Accord’s minimum requirements for operation, and that progress is happening, if slowly. It says in the factories where it’s the lead brand sourcing there that ‘almost 60% of the remediation work is completed and we see good progress. However, the Accord is experiencing some delays of the planned remediation process.’ In a separate statement to Quartz India, a company spokesperson explained that delays were due to technical and structural issues in the factories that ‘require more time and access to technology not available in Bangladesh.’ A heavy workload for the inspection experts was also a factor. H&M has shown a commitment to improving conditions for workers in its contracted factories. A few weeks ago, it introduced a ‘fair wage programme’ in its Asian factories that will boost workers’ pay.
