Kmart Australia managing director Guy Russo has penned an unprecedented, three-page open letter addressing worker rights in Bangladesh.
To read the full letter, click here.
The move follows Kmart's recent decision to sign onto an accord improving safety at Bangladesh factories.
Russo stated the company welcomed discussions around improved standards in Bangladesh.
"However, it is important that the Australian community – many who are our customers – know the facts about how we operate in developing countries, and why abandoning workers and their factories, for Kmart, is not an option," he continued.
"Kmart Australia has sourced manufactured goods from Bangladesh for many years through agents and we established our own team, who deal direct with factories there, in 2012. Our business supports the operations of over 30 Bangladeshi garment makers who employ thousands of people.
"There are risks working in countries where industry standards, management skills and training, and rules and regulations are significantly less than what we are accustomed to here at home.
"To address this Kmart, and other responsible companies, have long had in place strict ethical sourcing codes of conduct to uphold standards and protect the workers who make the products we sell.
"On behalf of Kmart Australia, we don’t always get this right but I can wholeheartedly say that we rectify any issue urgently, and we adjust our operations and way of thinking immediately where required."
Kmart Australia audited all factories based in Bangladesh in January and May this year, Russo claimed. He revealed the company had a dedicated office and team in Bangladesh, supported by teams in Delhi, China and Australia.
"Given the searing images from April’s factory collapse, it is understandable that media and groups are critical of big brands doing business in developing countries because of the poor standards that lead to such tragedies.
"However, there are many positive strides that haven’t received much focus. "