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(Image source: Walmart)
BY ELISA LOPEZ AGUADO
Walmart will conduct safety inspections at its factories in Bangladesh, but not as a
part of the industry-wide pact to improve fire and building safety conditions other
firms drew up on Tuesday.
The announcement from the world's largest retailer comes less than a month after the
collapse of the Rana Plaza building that killed more than 1,000 people. Walmart says it will
inspect 279 factories and complete the review within six months.
Indeed, the retailer has already banned some factories from producing for Walmart for not
respecting the ethical sourcing standards outlined by the company.
Walmart's plan comes as the retailer has become mired in controversy. Recently released documents
show Ether Tex produced women's jeans for Walmart at the collapsed building.
According to The Guardian, Walmart had denied having any link with the Rana Plaza building.
Walmart's safety plan has come under fire from labor advocates. The executive director
of the Worker Rights Consortium tells The New York Times "It is a unilateral initiative
that's nonbinding and unenforceable, and it's unclear how much transparency there will be
... There's no basis to believe it will all happen."
Walmart isn't the only retailer refusing to join the accord. The Wall Street Journal reports
other U.S. retailers won't sign either because "they could be liable in U.S. courts if they
fail to adhere to the provisions."
The Huffington Post reports the five-year contract requires western brands to improve
safety conditions in dangerous factories across the country and establishes financial commitments
between each company and Bangladesh depending on how much business each company has there.
The "Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh" will be signed Wednesday by fashion
firms like Benetton, Inditex and Carrefour. PVH, parent of Calvin Klein, is the only American-based
company which has announced it will sign the pact.