Walmart donates 1.6 million for Bangladesh

Retail giant Walmart announced on Tuesday that it will donate 1.6 million dollars for health and safety measures in Bangladesh. One of the country’s worst factory fires last November at Tazreen Fashions close to Dhaka had killed 112 textile workers and injured

more than 200. Apart from Walmart labels, investigations onsite had revealed those of other international fashion companies sourcing from Tazreen Fashions, among them Li & Fung, C&A, Kik, Karl Rieker, True Desire (Sears), Dickies, Ace, Teddy Smith, Fashion Basics, Infinity Woman and Enyce (Sean Comb).

At the time, Walmart had announced that Tazreen Fashions had not been authorized to produce garments for Walmart any longer and blamed a supplier for passing on the assignment without authorisation. Walmart since terminated its contract with the company in question and tightened its rules for all suppliers: Instead of allowing three breaches of its rules, Walmart now follows a “zero tolerance” policy and terminates contracts after the first breach itself.

Donation for a Environment, Health and Safety Academy

Walmart’s donation together with another one in the amount of 2 million dollar by Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) will be used by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) to build an Environment, Health and Safety Academy in Bangladesh. The EHS-Academy will offer training courses in fire safety and health and workplace safety, which are due to start in August. ISC, a non-profit organisation, already operates two similar training centres in China.

“At Walmart, as we work to raise standards in the global supply chain we continue to actively seek out partnerships with government stakeholders, non-profits and NGOs. That’s why we are partnering with ISC, which is known for combining expertise in leadership, institutional development and community capacity building to improve people’s lives and the earth’s ecosystem. The EHS Academy is an important part of our ongoing commitment to improve fire safety standards in Bangladesh and we are proud to partner with ISC to address the critical need for training around fire safety, health and workplace safety,” said Rajan Kamalanathan, vice president of ethical sourcing at Walmart.

The company has set an ultimatum for all its suppliers: By April 15th, they have to disclose their production sources or run the risk of losing their contracts with Walmart. The retailer is the second biggest buyer in Bangladesh after H&M and the biggest retailer worldwide.

Foto: Jo Naylor