The Cotton On Group has weighed in on the backlash from the Bangladesh tragedy.
The chain retailer has commented on its decision to join Kmart Australia and Target on the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, just days after the retailers were named as part of a scathing report on the state of the garment industry in Bangladesh.
Cotton On Group, which operates over 1021 stores worldwide, officially signed the global Accord on June 21 along with Forever New. The move sees both retailers follow in the footsteps of Kmart Australia and Target, which announced their involvement in the Accord on June 7, 2013, as reported on ragtrader.com.au.
Commenting on becoming a signatory of the Accord, Cotton On said the decision has been made after discussions with IndustriALL Global Union (the firm responsible for creating and implementing the Accord) and OXFAM over the past several weeks.
“The Cotton On Group is proud to be able to incorporate the elements of the Accord into our existing ethical framework and Vendor Code of Conduct.
“We believe signing the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord will further enhance our internal programs that have been in place for over three years.
“We believe the existence of the Accord will lead to further improvements in the working and safety conditions of the Bangladesh garment manufacturing industry and encourage all other Australian retailers with manufacturing in the country to also consider adopting this important initiative.
“The Cotton On Group has always taken its responsibility to protect the safety and welfare of vendor employees very seriously. We have committed significant resources in the region to evaluate our manufacturing partners against our own terms of trade, ensuring all partners are working within the framework of our zero tolerance policy on forced labour, child labour, bribery and corruption.”
Cotton On, Kmart Australia, Target Coles, Rivers and Forever New are just a few of the labels which were investigated during an ABC Four Corners report aired on on Monday (June 24,2013).
The report identified the retailers as using low-cost labour in Bangladesh to manufacture their garments in poor and sometimes dangerous conditions for a few dollars a day.
The focus on the garment industry in Bangladesh follows an international outcry over the tragic building collapse in Rana Plaza, which killed more than 1,000 people and highlighted the plight of the nation’s garment workers.
Coles and Rivers are yet to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.