Primark is at the forefront of efforts to build sustainable partnerships with suppliers, a year on from the Rana Plaza tragedy.

Primark is at the forefront of efforts to build sustainable partnerships with suppliers, a year on from the Rana Plaza tragedy.

 “The majority of consumers have shrugged off the disaster in their thirst for fast fashion.”

Chris Brook-Carter, editor-in-chief

A year ago this week 1,133 workers lost their lives when the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed in one of the worst incidents in the history of the apparel industry. Now the spotlight that shone so brightly on fashion supply chains 12 months ago has returned to examine the progress the sector has made.

Some might feel disappointed. Almost 200 companies have signed up to two rival multinational initiatives
to create a safe environment for Bangladeshi workers.

But only about a quarter of the country’s garment factories have so far been inspected. And efforts to raise compensation under the flag of the International Labour Organization have so far fallen well short of expectations.

However, these bare numbers not only hide the complexity of the task faced by those seeking to improve the system, they also fail to tell the story of the profound change that has occurred in the sector in the past year.

The breadth of support the rival initiatives have is significant and represents the first time the apparel industry has collaborated on this scale. So far, inspectors have investigated almost 700 factories, resulting in eight closures. For factory owners it is a clear sign Western brands are serious about change. And for retailers it shows that the frightening lack of transparency the disaster exposed is unacceptable.

While there are still some retailers burying their heads in the sand, there has been a shift in the industry to seek longer-term sustainable partnerships with suppliers.

At the forefront of those efforts has been Primark, by far the largest contributor to the ILO fund. Last week the clothing retailer poached Paul Wright, one of the industry’s leading ethical sourcing directors, from Asda. His track record includes installing webcams in Bangladeshi factories.

Critics of fast fashion have claimed Primark’s rocketing profits are evidence that in a year when its business model should have been brought into question, it has still reaped rewards and the status quo remains.

But the unpalatable truth for campaigners is that the majority of consumers have shrugged off the disaster in their thirst for fast fashion. And the efforts of Primark and others are not compromised by financial success.

Profitability and morality can co-exist and campaigners should recognise that the great strides forward the sector has made in the past 12 months have not been driven by a threat to the top line but a genuine desire for change.