Six readymade Bangladesh garment factories have been upgraded to international standards by Alliance as they have finished all correction work. Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety is a North American buyers’ association. In the absence of effective government monitoring, brands and retailers are taking greater responsibility for fire and building safety. In some factories, safety issues are so serious that inspectors have recommended that production be suspended because of risk to workers.

Inspections are an important first step in making factories and workers safe, but they are not enough. There is no authoritative figure for the number of factories producing for the export market. One estimate is that there are some 1,800 factories but this is felt to be too low and another guess is that it could be closer to 5,000 or 6,000 factories and facilities.

Indirect sourcing plays a big role in meeting the demand for high volumes of low cost garments. Indirect sourcing is not necessarily a bad practice but subcontracting facilities have to be kept under watch, and there is little evidence that this is happening in practice. Conducting inspections and identifying factory safety hazards are important. But brands and retailers should work with Bangladeshi manufacturers, the government of Bangladesh, foreign governments, and development organisations to advance a comprehensive approach – underwritten by significant funding – to upgrade the entire export garment sector.