labour behind the label

I know that bite-sized breakdowns of information are often the best way of getting things across, so, in this post, I’m going to explain what the Bangladesh Accord is, in simple terms. It might not even be something you’re aware of, so perhaps this will even be a little eye-opening…

Scan of Fashion Revolution’s Zine Issue #1 – Artwork by Alke Schmidt

What is the Bangladesh Accord?

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was founded in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse, in May 2013. It was initiated by trade unions – organised groups of workers formed to protect their rights in the workplace – in Bangladesh, as well as global unions and labour rights groups.

The Accord required all companies and brands who signed it to be completely transparent in revealing their factories and putting in place building inspections to ensure that the factories being used were safe from any dangerous hazards, relating to fire, electricity and structural safety.

It is also asked of those brands signed onto the Accord, to be responsible for finding the funds to implement any changes or safety measures that were needed should they appear upon inspection.

One of the most important factors the Accord put in place, was the right for workers to refuse unsafe work without losing pay or suffering any form of discrimination or harm – I highlight this, as it is known workers involved in the Rana Plaza collapse voiced concerns about the factory’s condition before it occurred.

Essentially, the Bangladesh Accord ensured the safety of garment workers, those of which provide the clothes for hundreds of brands worldwide, including those which had signed on since 2013.

H&M, G-Star RAW, Arcadia Group, Debenhams, Fat Face, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Matalan, Mothercare, New Look, Next, Primark, and River Island, are some of the names included.

What has the Bangladesh Accord achieved?

In 2012, prior to the Rana Plaza disaster, there was the Tanzeen Fashion factory fire, which killed over 100 people and injured over 200. Similar incidents have also occurred since then, with 24 people killed in a packaging factory in 2016 (although not directly linked to garments, it’s a clear sign that this issue goes further than clothing production).

In an update released by the Accord in December 2018, 97% factories inspected lacked safe fire exits and 91% of factories required an adequate fire alarm system. These are basic needs you would expect of a factory, yet, they were still lacking and putting workers at risk. Instability of factory buildings was also found at 62% of those inspected.

(As somebody who has experience with earthquakes, the photo evidence in the update released reminded me of structural damage I’ve seen and felt unsafe with, in person – and that’s just from a house, not a building which is supposed to withhold heavy loads and powerful machinery.)

The Accord successfully worked at putting these sorts of safety and structural measures in place.

Is the Bangladesh Accord still in place?

In 2018, the new Transition Accord was put in place to ensure the continuation of the Accord in protecting the safety and rights of garment workers – and textile workers, as a whole. However, the Government of Bangladesh have since decided they would like to get rid of the Accord and the take on the responsibility with the national organisation known as the RCC or ‘Remediation Coordination Cell‘.

The Accord states that the RCC is not prepared to take on the responsibility due to lack of staffing and knowledge. The Accord would like to continue the work being done until 2021, as agreed upon when work first began, in order to transfer the knowledge and continue to aid the hundreds of factories which are still lacking in safe working conditions.

Without the Accord monitoring factories at such a scale, it’s possible that there would be no way to guarantee fixes are being put in place, meaning brands under the Accord would have to cut ties with their factories – as part of their legal agreement -, which could run the risk of Bangladesh losing a substantial amount of business in manufacturing, leaving many without jobs and income. This helpful article by Fashion United breaks it down even further.

What does this mean about the clothes we buy?

Due to the fact that Bangladesh is the 2nd largest producer of clothing in the world, it’s safe to say that a majority of what we wear is still being produced in what the Accord has found to be unsafe working conditions, putting millions of garment workers at risk every day, for our benefit – and this isn’t counting any of the discriminatory behaviour, harassment or abuse that occurs in these factories on a daily basis, the majority of which is towards exploited and underpaid female workers.

In most recent news in early January 2019, there has been a protest from Bangladeshi garment workers fighting for higher wages which caused the death of one worker and left many injured, after clashes with the police.

What can we do about it?

Support organisations such as Clean Clothes Campaign, who were one of the initial witnesses of the signing of the Accord, by sending a letter to the Bangladesh Prime Minister through the #ProtectProgress petition campaign. The goal is to reach 6,400 letters sent and all it takes is a minute of your time. The letter will send a signal that you care about the rights and safety of garment workers and would like the work of the Accord to continue.

Labour Behind The Label also needs your support. On January 30th 2019, during Bangladeshi Garment Workers Week, Labour Behind The Label is holding an urgent protest in London outside of the Bangladesh High Commission, in order to stand in solidarity of those protesting in Bangladesh itself, and to raise awareness that the Accord is still wanted and necessary to ensure a fairer fashion industry. I will be there and I hope you have the ability to be there, too.

In terms of consumption and shopping, boycotting brands who produce from Bangladesh will never work unless it’s in vast numbers; it will also never be the end goal. However, for sustainability reasons, you may already be cutting down how much you buy new and what brands you choose to support, so, I of course, urge you to continue doing so.

Slowing down is what will inevitably help steer garment factories in a safer direction because there will be less demand and therefore, less pressure, whether that be on the workers, the buildings that surround them, or the planet.

Were you aware of the Accord before? Do you have any more questions? Let me know in the comments!

A common theme when I asked around for some questions and blog post ideas after racking my brain for days, ended up being about the younger generation and ethical fashion. Of course, that’s rather relevant seeing as I’m part of what some would class as “Generation Z”; the not-quite millennials.

FEATURED: Clarabella Bag £33.00 (What Daisy Did)* // Zhandra Rhodes Top (People Tree) // Fashion Revolution Instagram // Bluetooth Speaker (UE Roll)* // Nike Trainers (old – JD Sports)*

Whenever I talk about my generation and being a teen today, I always have to reiterate how my experience isn’t necessarily the bog-standard norm for people my age and for people in let’s say, the UK. Without trying to sound pretentious, the situations I’ve been put into have opened me up to alternative ways of living and viewing different aspects of life, especially in more recent times. This doesn’t, however, mean that I’m oblivious to teen culture. My earliest blog posts are an insight into that with my focus on celebrity style and bargain buys; I’ve lived that but now my eyes have been opened.

And I think that’s a good segue into the core of this blog post. I was talking to someone recently about social media and how it plays a part in teenagers and politics and it brought to head my true opinion on what I believe about our age group. On the one hand, I couldn’t be happier that we have so many incredible platforms to play with and use right at our fingertips.

It’s opened up so many different conversations and gives us the ability to be inundated with unique angles and perspectives that we wouldn’t necessarily get anywhere else. We have the freedom to learn about whatever we want and talk to whoever we want and express whatever we want and I don’t see why anyone should be complaining about that.

In my mind, the problem which comes with that, is the idea of sitting back and letting everyone else do the work. It’s extremely easy to think that there are enough active people and citizens out there because when we refresh the page, there’s something new from them. There’s a huge difference between being a participant in what is going on around us and actually being part of what is going on around us. I’m not just saying this relates to teens and young adults; we all know

I’m not just saying this relates to teens and young adults; we all know from these platforms that there are plenty of older people who like to talk but not do, but if I’m going to relate this to ethical issues in particular, then I believe this is one of the stumbling blocks we face.

The younger generations are much more aware of the issues and that’s hugely important because it means they are being informed and influenced in some way. The more the issues to do with, say, the fast-fashion industry are discussed, the more we’ll start to question things and wonder if we’re part of the problem. Being actively involved in changing our ways is perhaps a little harder but this all seems to stem from old habits.

When I started my blog at age 11, I used to go into high-street shops with the main objective of buying as much as I could with the £10 note in my hand. An unsuccessful shopping trip would be one which left me close to empty-handed. The thrill of buying as much as you can with as little as possible is understanding, especially when you’re younger and money is sparse.

I treasure money like gold now, understanding and knowing it’s true value; saving up for investments, my future and experiences rather than anything too materialistic, unlike when I was younger and it was a fun thing to use and play with. I’d buy t-shirts and dresses in the sale for prices as little as £3 and I’d be utterly satisfied. I can only believe that this was because due being brought up on the idea of more meaning more, due to western society, consumption and commercialism (wow, that’s a big sentence).

Unfortunately, I think this is still true of many younger people and as I said, it has a lot to do with money. When you’re a teen, you’re either saving for the future or you’re struggling to even put together a double-figure number, so when it comes to clothes and it comes to accessible products to buy, the cheapest option is always going to be easiest and on the surface, seem more worthwhile.

This especially true when you add the ‘millennial’ mindset on top of that; according to a study by the Harris Group, 72% of millennials would now prefer to spend money on experiences rather than physical products. This doesn’t mean we aren’t buying physical products, it just means we’d rather spend less and save the bulk for travelling and experiencing new opportunities. We’re definitely not avoiding buying physical products – it’s hard to imagine somebody going on a vacation or heading to a festival without buying new clothes to wear nowadays, isn’t it?

Getting people out of this mindset and into a more conscious one is a little difficult when ethical fashion, unfortunately, has a stigma of being more expensive. I’m going to say this rather bluntly; ethical fashion isn’t more expensive if you stop buying as much as you usually would. The only reason ethical fashion is known to be expensive is because one piece can often be the price of two fast-fashion pieces. It’s why it often gets referred to as ‘slow fashion’. It’s about consuming more slowly and considerately; saving the money you would spend on a handful of trend focused pieces, for fewer, more long lasting and of course, ethically and sustainably made items.

Once our mindsets have been changed, ethical fashion won’t be expensive. It will be the way we shop. The industry will move and we’ll head in a more positive direction as a whole. We have to start thinking about it differently but unfortunately, just reading headlines and taking in tweets isn’t going to change anything drastically. Just being aware doesn’t cut it anymore.

So, how exactly, especially as part of the younger generation, do we go about changing our ways and become more actively involved in making positive actions happen?

Change your mindset…

Start believing that less is more. Conscious consumerism may not be the final answer to change how the industry works, but it’s one of the easiest ways to start getting involved. This wonderful quote by Anna Lappe which I’ve included before on my blog says it all, ‘Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want’. Use your vote more wisely. Think about whether you’ll actually end up using or wearing something you buy. Be conscious not just aware.

Help others change their mindset too…

If you’re out shopping with someone; why not ask them questions? Get them to think about why they’re buying each item. You don’t have to pressure them or fill them with a sense of guilt by showing them screenshots of a collapsed factory (that’s a bit extreme) but introducing this thought-process gradually is a big step. It will also make you truly appreciate everything you touch and feel. I can no longer go into a shop without questioning things now. I’m always asking where? Who? How?

For a slightly more extreme approach, take look at Craftivist Collective’s ‘Mini Fashion Statements’ idea.

Take part in Fashion Revolution…

If we’re a generation that thrives on getting ourselves out there and getting stuck in with new and exciting experiences, then physically taking part in some form of activism can be a great place to start.

Fashion Revolution was created after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, and now pushes for change within the industry throughout the whole year but especially during the month of April. Take a look at their website and see if there are any events on in your area that you can be a part of. It’s a global event as well, so there’s nothing stopping you from finding an event in your country or even.

Get answers…

It’s all well and good celebrating when a brand answers a broad question about how they run in terms of ethics and sustainability, but actually asking the questions yourself and pushing them constantly will make them aware that change is needed. One of the questions I’m currently trying to ask is directed at Jack Wills. They recently released the news that they would be openly sharing where their products are manufactured, on their website, but I have yet to easily find this list and in my opinion, that’s a little disappointing.

Since publishing this post, Jack Wills have tweeted me with a link to their “Fabric of Jack” campaign.

So, if you’re curious – ask. Curiosity doesn’t kill the cat in this scenario, it leads to something more positive. This also links in with Fashion Revolution and the #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign.

Donate to those who are helping directly…

Initiatives like Labour Behind The Label are striving to help those affected by the issues in the fast-fashion industry, protecting, supporting and empowering garment workers worldwide. They have some incredible campaigns running which you can donate to in order to support their wider work. Donating can help Labour Behind The Label put pressure on brands, support those have been exploited and overall, help us move forward in making the industry a more positive space.

What do you think Millennials and Generation Z could be doing better in terms of ethics? How are you being more active? Let me know in the comments!