HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE RANA PLAZA COLLAPSE?
It was one of the largest industrial disasters in history.
Rana Plaza was a building in Bangladesh where several garment factories where located. The building held some commercial establishments on the bottom floors, and factories on the top. The top stories where built on top (without a proper permit) to accommodate the factories. The building structure was never intended to support the vibrations and weight of heavy machinery needed for the garment industry. Approximately 5,000 people worked in these factories. They made clothing for brands like: El Corte Ingles, Bon Marche, Walmart, Benetton, The Children’s Place, C&A, Mango and JC Penney amongst many others.
On April 23rd 2013 large cracks on the structure of the building where discovered. The businesses on the lower floors where immediately evacuated and closed. But the factory owners ignored the warnings, and ordered their workers to return the next day. They even threatened to withhold pay of those workers who refused to go to work the next day.
the day of the tragedy
On the morning of April 24, as workers where getting in to start working, the building collapsed. More than 3,000 where in the building when it happened. Men, woman and children under 18 too. The rescue operation was held by volunteers that were inexperienced and had no equipment. Around 1,130 where killed during the collapse and many more where injured.
This collapse has shed the light on an issue that is often ignored on “first world” countries. The clothes we see on the shiny window displays are often made in conditions very similar to the ones the workers of Rana Plaza lived in. Collapsing buildings with poor ventilation and lighting, dirty facilities where workers make garment after garment. And not only that, but they don’t get paid enough. They can’t even afford to pay for a humble life, they live day to day on slums and in horrible conditions.
Now, every year on April 24, we commemorate the day that Rana Plaza collapsed.
WHAT CAN I DO?
I think it is our responsibility as consumers to know where the things we purchase come from. It is not acceptable anymore to just buy and buy without acknowledging the consequences of our actions. We need to take off the blind fold. This of course applies to every single aspect of your life, from your morning coffee to the underwear you are wearing.
Good news is that we as consumers, have the upper hand. If we stop buying and demand brands to pay living wages to their garment workers, don’t you think they will listen? Unfortunately for them it is all about the money. Fortunately for us that means that if we stop buying from them they stop making money. That will give us the upper hand. They will do whatever we ask them to for us to spend our good earned money on their stores again.
making the switch
Now this doesn’t mean that you go to your closet and throw all your Forever 21 and H&M clothes on the trash. That would be counter productive, but take good care of them so that they last a long time. There’s an illustration that I like to share with people to help them get an idea of how to make better choices when it comes to fashion.
It pretty much explains itself. As you can see it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to buy from sustainable brands only. In reality, it is just about being conscious about what your shopping habits. Thinking about how often you’ll be able to use a certain garment will help you a lot.
If you would like to learn more about brands that are sustainable and fair trade, vegan, eco friendly, etc. I recommend this e-book. Stephanie is a great sustainable fashion influencer. She created this guide for anyone that wants to change their purchasing ways but don’t know were to start.
#FASHIONREVOLUTION
Fashion Revolution is an organization that works to make people aware of the impact of fast fashion. It works with people, fashion brands, politicians, retailers, makers, and everyone that’s affected by the industry.
They started the challenge #whomademyclothes. It basically consists of you posting a picture of the label of a piece of clothing and ask the brand (ie. H&M) who made your clothes. This is to raise awareness and to make brands notice how many people want change. It shows them how many people want those making their clothes to be paid fairly for their work. If more people share these pictures, the Fashion Revolution community will grow and create more awareness. Read more about the challenge here.
MY EXPERIENCE
For anyone that knew me from maybe three-four years back, knew I was a shopaholic. I would consider shopping as therapy. The reality is that after spending an insane amount of money on clothes that I didn’t need, I felt guilty. Guilty because the clothes that I’d purchased where pretty but I knew they wouldn’t last long. And most of the time I was not excited about after purchasing them.
It wasn’t until I quit my job that I realized how unnecessary most of my purchases were. And one thing I also discovered: the world keeps on going. Even after you didn’t purchase those shoes or that bag, or that top. That encouraged me to change my ways. I embraced a more conscious way of shopping and I now ask myself if I really need something or will use it a lot.
Also, it has helped me push my limits and imagination to create new outfits with the clothes I already have. Nowadays, this is the method I follow. I haven’t purchased from any ethical or sustainable brands yet, but I have started making a few pieces myself. I have found it is far more rewarding to make a garment than actually purchasing one.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
- If you want to read more about Rana Plaza I included a few interesting reads here:
- https://www.businessinsider.com/bangladesh-garment-workers-2013-5#the-garment-industry-is-huge-in-bangladesh-accounting-for-80-of-the-countrys-exports-last-year-these-exports-total-20-billion-1
- http://news.trust.org/item/20190424084912-tki4x/?fbclid=IwAR0UFHT0dXgjqLgbFHsgCKNaO12OEHdaDaAyYqG_yAfdFpGwcSryd2HpYso
- There is also a very very interesting and eye opening documentary called “The True Cost”. It explains in great detail why the garment industry is so unfair and all that it takes for Fast Fashion brands to sell clothes so inexpensive. It is on Netflix if you want to check it out.
- Also, there is a new documentary called RiverBlue. It explains how the garment industry is polluting our waterways and how people in those countries get sick from just living near the factories. You can watch the preview here.
