H&M checking Bengali suppliers more often

Suppliers have to respect
international labour conventions

In order to get more control, H&M has set up a test with two factories
in Bangladesh and one in Cambodia. All three production facilities, having
H&M as their sole client, have to commit to a safe working environment and pay a certain minimum wage. This construction also enables more quality
control.

“We see these a little like test centers where we can try out different
things that we can then push out on a
larger scale in the entire supply chain”, social sustainability manager
Anna Gedda said.

Other important suppliers also have to follow stricter rules, as H&M is imposing a code of conduct detailing
how they should deal with their personnel. The code of conduct refers to the ‘Declaration on Fundamental Principles and
Rights at Work’, created by the International Labour Organization. One
of the rights mentioned in that declaration is that workers have the right to ‘associate
freely and bargain collectively’.

H&M had moved part of its production to Bangladesh back in 1982, adding
Cambodia in 1988. Two thirds of their
global purchases are made in Asia, with the remainder being made in
Romania, Turkey and Italy.

(Translated by Gary Peeters)