About 70 per cent of Americans have heard of the building collapse in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,100 people, and for some it means they’ll probably buy
fewer goods made in the country, reports Bloomberg.
Among those who learned of the deaths, 39 per cent said they would probably buy fewer products produced in Bangladesh, according to a survey by Harris Poll of more than 2,000 adults from May 14-16. Women are more likely to change shopping habits than men, 42 per cent to 34 per cent, the poll showed.
The Rana Plaza factory, an eight-story building at Savar that housed garment factories, collapsed on April 24, killing at least 1,127 people.
As rescuers searched for survivors in the following weeks the rising death toll brought increased media coverage. The incident, which is one of the world’s deadliest industrial accidents, has prompted more calls for reform in Bangladesh after a fire in an apparel factory there killed 112 people in November.
Apparel accounts for 80 per cent of the country’s exports and employs about 3.4 million people. As wages rose in other apparel-producing countries such as China, companies have turned to the cheaper labour in Bangladesh.
Since the collapse, companies that buy clothes made by factories in Bangladesh have announced plans to improve safety. A group of retailers comprising mostly European chains, including Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) and Inditex SA (ITX), pledged $60 million over five years to increase monitoring of conditions.
Several US chains, including Walmart Stores Inc and Gap Inc, didn’t sign the agreement. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, will instead make public the safety inspections of its 279 authorised suppliers in Bangladesh that are to be completed in the next six months. Gap has said it is ‘ready to sign,’ pending a change to the provision regarding binding arbitration.
Workers there have also been protesting as they demand higher wages. The government has said it’s considering raising the minimum wage of about $39 a month.
The poll also asked respondents if they looked at labels to find out where a garment was made before purchasing, and 44 per cent said they did. Americans older than 55 had the highest probability to do so at 53 per cent. And while just 49 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 34 had heard of the collapse, 86 per cent of those aged 55 or higher knew.
-With New Age input
