Another Bangladesh Factory Fire: This is Fast Fashion
Seven workers were killed — all women — and more than 15 injured on Saturday following a fire in a garment factory in Mohammadpur in the western part of Dhaka City, Bangladesh. The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights reports that the workers were crushed as they tried to escape the burning floor, which is located on the second story of the building. Two of the women killed were teenagers, aged 15 and 16, according to the group.
“After more than two decades of the apparel industry knowing about the risks to these workers, nothing substantial has changed,” said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum, in a statement.
The incident comes only two months after the Tazreen factory fire, which killed 112 employees in Bangladesh. Bangladesh happens to be the second largest exporter of clothing to the United States behind China.
According to the New York Times:
On Sunday, labels from several French brands, including Sol’s, Scott and Fox and G Blog by Gemo could be seen in the burned second-floor Smart Export Garments factory. Two other labels manufactured for Inditex, the world’s largest fashion group, were also visible — Leftie’s and Bershka. Labor activists found labels for the German low-cost brand KIK and a purchase order by a New York firm, M. Hidary & Company, for Hawaiian Authentics swimwear.
Eco-Chick shared this video about toxic tanneries in Bangladesh back in October.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Lindsay E. Brown
Lindsay has spent her career at the intersection of media and social change. In her role at Eco-Chick, Lindsay has established partnerships and campaigns with some of the world’s most-recognized companies committed to sustainability and CSR. She co-created the popular interview series “Heroines for the Planet” that features groundbreaking women who share courage and a deep passion for protecting people and the Earth. Lindsay is the Marketing and Sustainability Manager at Health-Ade Kombucha and previously served as Director of Communications at the social enterprise CBS EcoMedia. There she directed corporate advertising dollars to the nation’s most effective non-profits tackling urgent social issues in local communities and was awarded CBS Corporation’s prestigious Share-the-Vision award. She has written for Whole Living Magazine, Edible, Cottages & Gardens, From The Grapevine, EarthHour.org, Eco-Age.com, and for environmentalists Laura Turner Seydel and Susan Rockefeller. Lindsay holds a BS in Global Business Studies and Marketing from Manhattan College, and received the 2012 Honors Award at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
