Two years ago today, one of the worst industrial incidents took place in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Over 1,000 people died and over 2,500 injured when Rana Plaza, a clothing factory supplying global fashion brands, collapsed.
The tragedy is the result of an industry in a constant race to get products on the racks – and to hell with regulations… to hell with the cost to workers and the environment.
But two years on today, we say enough is enough. We need a Fashion Revolution.
Last year, thousands of people around the world joined Fashion Revolution and turned their clothes inside out as call for transparency to the industry. This year we ask again: who made my clothes?
Image courtesy of Fashion Revolution 2015.
The need for change.
There are many dirty secrets in the fashion industry's wardrobe and the use of toxic chemicals is just one part of a bigger story we at Greenpeace are trying to rewrite with your help.
We believe a responsible company must be accountable for all ethical issues in their supply chain. There have been many groups and NGOs fighting to ensure the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy are fairly compensated, and sadly nearly two years later, the fund from where this compensation would come from is still falling short.
We do not accept anyone trying to escape from their responsibility from this tragedy and I believe it's long overdue for all companies involved to fully compensate victims.
While supply chains are often incredibly complex, fashion companies have the power to change the way they make and source our clothes – through their choices of suppliers, the design of their products and the control they can exert, for example, over the use of chemicals in the production process and the final product.
I believe there's hope.
Over 30 companies, from Aldi to Zara, have committed to Detox. And just looking at the textile sector alone, 18 major fashion companies representing 10% of the retail fashion industry have begun eliminating toxic chemicals. This is having a ripple effect across the world.
The system can change. I have seen with my own eyes factories in China, for instance, that are cleaning the water discharged into public waterways – this is to the hundreds of thousands of people joining the Detox movement and demanding brands clean up their act.
This is what hundred of thousands of people can do when they are united in the belief that beautiful fashion should not be tainted by an ugly story of death and destruction.
Image courtesy of Fashion Revolution 2015. Photographer: Rachel Manns
Take action
Our friends at Fashion Revolution are creating a social media storm. Join us and find out who made your clothes.
- Take a selfie showing your label.
- Upload your photo with this message: I want to thank the people who made my clothes @[brands name] #whomademyclothes
- Spread the word by tagging three of your friends and ask them to do the same
Find out more here: http://fashionrevolution.org/
Yixiu Wu is the Detox My Fashion campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.