Bangladesh garment factories: from suppliers to partners

In the wake of the fourth anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh, ultimately the question comes up if the garment industry has changed since then and if yes, what has changed. This is a tricky question to answer as not all changes are tangible and as a reporter who has followed the developments since the Tazreen Fashions fire and other incidents in the run-up to Rana Plaza, just saying 'I don't know, it feels like the industry has come a long way in the past four years' would not really cut it, true as it may be.

For the longest time, I could not put my finger on what really has changed other than the obvious fire, safety and structural inspections, which are doubtlessly important steps. But that is not all that has changed. Rana Plaza certainly put Bangladesh and the plight of its large garment workforce on the map, true. But what really has changed was summed up in a quote I read in a recent article by the International Labour Organization (ILO) titled "Refusing to throw in the towel on factory safety in Bangladesh" about a terry towel producer and exporter on the outskirts of Dhaka.

“Clients don’t just want a supplier, they prefer a partner,” explained factory owner of Towel Tex, Md Shahadat Hossain Sohel, about why it is important for him to comply with safety regulations. And that's when it struck me, the biggest change, which is not tangible - the mindset. Buyers and suppliers are on their way to becoming long-term partners, not just short-term business associates who may or may not try to pull a fast one on each other in the quest for ever cheaper garments or better deals.

It is almost as if international buyers have realised that their suppliers are people too - with problems, dreams and hopes - and not an anonymous apparel-producing machine on the other end of the earth, while suppliers have realised that safety standards are not a nice-to-have but a must and that they and the costs associated with them will be absolutely worth it in the long run.

“The cost of remediation work can be high, but in the overall scheme of things it is worth it. At the end of the day, it is my factory not theirs. Although buyers don’t raise their rates to account for safety improvements, I have to be the one to make sure that the workers are safe and cared for,” added Sohel.

This is not to say that true partnerships have not existed before Rana Plaza - they certainly did but they have been the exception, shiny beacons of hope in a sea of cut-throat deals and ever quicker turnaround times rather than the rule. In view of a changed mindset and appreciation of lasting business contacts that bring humanity back into human relations, that is a change worth writing home about.

Photo: Towel Tex owner Md Shahadat Hossain Sohel via ILO