Success in factory safety lauded at ADB discussion
Western experts and policymakers lauded the progress Bangladesh has made in the apparel sector since the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013.
They made the observation at a discussion organised by the Asian Development Bank on the sidelines of ADB's annual meeting held in Frankfurt, Germany on May 1-5.
David Hasanat, chairman of Viyellatex Group and a leading garment exporter in Bangladesh, said all western buyers have their own officials to check quality of products in Bangladesh, but they recruit none to oversee and ensure occupational health and factory environment.
Hasanat was one of the panellists at the discussion -- Partnership for sustainable textile.
Susanne Hoffman, director general of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany; Gilbert Houngbo, deputy director general of International Labour Organisation, and Christopher Stephens, general counsel of ADB, were the other panellists.
The Rana Plaza collapse was a wakeup call for factory owners and government for improving the working conditions of the production units, Hasanat said.
He also said Accord and Alliance, two forums of Western buyers that are inspecting the factories in Bangladesh, found that only less than 3 percent of the factories are yet to be compliant.
Good companies provide conducive work environment, said Hoffman. Hoffman said it is nice to see that Bangladesh is feeling the need to improve working conditions in their factories. Houngbo said pressure that comes from inside helps things become sustainable. He also commended Bangladesh for allowing union activities in its factories.
Stephens of the ADB talked about the prices Western buyers offer to the sellers. He said if a T-shirt is sold at 4 euros in Germany, people can guess how much it is sourced for. “It surprises me how a T-shirt can be sold for such a low price.”
Bangladesh exported around $30 billion worth of goods in fiscal 2014-15, of which 80 percent came from garments.
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