Commentary - Bangladesh Clothing Factory Fires: The Way Forward

Abstract

The Bangladeshi clothing factory fires and building collapses that killed thousands of workers in 2012 and 2013 created international outrage. One result of this was the Accord on fire and building safety in Bangladesh, an Accord signed between garment retailers and their Bangladeshi suppliers. This article explores this response by placing the recent Bangladeshi disasters in a wider historical context. It argues that disasters such as those that have occurred in Bangladesh have their root cause in a production “bottle-neck”. While spinning and weaving is highly mechanized, the final step in clothing manufacture (sewing) is labour intensive. This creates an age-old drive to lower costs by concentrating low-paid clothing workers in buildings that are not designed for the job at hand. Fire and building collapses are the inevitable result.