Today marks a year since the eight-storey Rana Plaza factory building
collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 365 short
days ago, thousands of us around the world paused for a moment and assessed our
own contribution to this tragedy. 1,133
mothers, fathers, sons and daughters were killed, and another 2,500 injured in
the worst industrial disaster in the history of the garment industry. It was a day that opened countless eyes to the
injustices of fast and disturbingly cheap fashion. Many vowed to change their ways, promising to
purchase more sustainably and support companies who produce more ethically. The photographs stuck in our minds and the
stories filled our headlines…for 3 days…and then we moved on.
When something of this magnitude occurs and gets some media attention,
fingers begin pointing wildly in all sorts of directions. The blame game was in full swing post-Rana
Plaza, which is understandable. If we can
make someone accountable, there can be some form of compensation. The flaw in this attitude is that it absolves
us of any responsibility for either the hurt, or the healing.
I agree wholeheartedly that it is easier if the situation and solution
are someone else’s problem. The issue is
that they are not.
o
The
factory owners were blamed for forcing workers back into Rana Plaza following a report that the building was unsafe the day prior.
o
The
builders were blamed for producing a substandard structure, taking shortcuts in
order to gain maximum profit for minimum investment.
o
The
government was blamed for failing to enforce tighter laws and regulations
around garment factory production practices.
This wind vane of accusation swung wildly under the changing pressure of
increasing evidence. Meanwhile we, with
equal culpability, returned to our addiction to cheap fashion, forgetting our
vows to these families.
I've heard and read many excuses by way of explanation. However, I am yet to hear a decent rebuttal to
the sad reality that our demand for cheaper, faster fashion forced those people
back into that building on April 24, 2013. Our willingness to indulge in ignorant and
selfish consumption cost thousands of families suffering and grief and
continues to do so.
So shall we now wallow in self-condemnation? I don’t believe so.
Feel angry. Feel convicted. Feel challenged.
Learn from these mistakes and become part of the solution.
Solution starters:
o
Do
some research. Stop before you shop and do a quick google search into which
companies are more ethical in their production practices. (It’s important to
support the good guys. Do not just boycott all Bangladeshi garment producers. Knee jerk reactions won’t help those families).
o
If
information on a company’s production practices is difficult to find, email
them asking them to provide details.
o
Sign
up to a website such as http://www.avaaz.org/
or http://www.change.org/ and sign some
petitions around worker rights.
o
Tell
companies why you don’t shop with them. If we simply remove our support, they
will up their marketing and lower their prices to suck us back in. They need
communication via email or even instore about why they have lost our custom.
Ultimately we must remember the true costs of the garments we consider
purchasing,
because a year ago the connection between this cost…
...and this cost…
...became undeniable.
