24th April 2023 marks the ten year anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, which killed over 1,000 workers and injured 2,500 more.
To mark the occasion, I look back on this episode of the podcast with Dominique Muller from Labour Behind the Label, in which we discuss the issues around fast fashion, and what effect it has had on the Leicester textile industry.
You’ll learn:
- Who Labour Behind the Label are and how the organisation came about [02:37]
- Why the organisation is focusing on the UK garment industry in particular [04:16]
- The reasons why Boohoo has been singled out in the report written by Labour Behind the Label [07:07]
- What local councils and other authorities can do to stop unethical factories [09:55]
- The worst discoveries that Labour Behind the Labour made when they looked into how garment workers were treated during the pandemic [13:36]
- Dominque’s thoughts on how the good manufacturers in Leicester would benefit from brands returning to the city [15:58]
- The work Labour Behind the Label does to educate brands and retailers on how to make sure their production is ethical [18:26]
- What distinguishes a brand or retailer that is ethical to its workers [20:05]
- What the consumer can do to make sure they aren’t funding unethical practices and companies [24:52]
- Why brands should be more transparent about where their products are made [27:31]
- What the government could be doing better in terms of positive changes being made in the fashion industry [30:27]
- How people can support Labour Behind the Label [38:34]
About Labour Behind the Label
Boohoo & Covid 19 – The people behind the profits
Clean Clothes Campaign – improving working conditions in the global garment industry
Fashion Checker – find out if the brands you buy from are paying their factory workers a living wage
Why we need transparent supply chains
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