Sunday, June 03, 2018

The Shame of Edinburgh Woolen Mill

Edinburgh Woollen Mill was among companies sourcing from Bangladesh that had failed to sign a new accord for the safety of millions of factory workers. The new pact is a three-year extension of the Bangladesh Accord, a legally-binding agreement between global brands and trade unions drawn up after the Rana Plaza collapse, one of the worst industrial accidents in modern history. It established a fire and safety programme for the country's $28 billion a year textile industry, which employs about 4 million people.

So far 175 of the 220 companies in the original accord have signed, but high-profile brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, IKEA, and Edinburgh Woollen Mill have not, the Clean Clothes Campaign said.

"They are doing themselves and their customers a disservice and are knowingly putting the lives of the workers producing for them at risk," said Christie Miedema of the Clean Clothes Campaign which lobbies to improve workers' conditions.

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