H&M aims to speed up Bangladesh factory inspections

April is the one-year anniversary of the Bangladesh factory collapse and H&M’s head of sustainability has called on Bangladesh to speed up factory inspections and added the brand is pushing for more frequent wage rises in the industry. Factory inspections that are now taking place are a direct result of the tragedy

and global brands and retailers committed to having all 1,500 factories making their clothes inspected by the end of August.

H&M’s

Helena Helmersson said Bangladesh needs a more comprehensive plan, Reuters reported.

It could take 5 years to inspect all factories

"It should not be dependent on which brand is buying at the factory - it should be all factories. They have to put a lot of resources to be able to speed up the inspections," she said. Bangladesh has only 200 inspectors and officials have said it will take at least five years to check all factories in the country.

Meanwhile, Helmersson said she wants Bangladesh to move away from almost four-year cycles for wage rises in the industry.

"What we really try to influence is to have yearly wage revisions,” she told the news agency. “As inflation goes up, then also wages have to go up."

Image: Bangladesh factory workers