Target, along with the Bipartisan Policy Center and 16 other North American retailers, joined together to announce the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and to launch the Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative.
The initiative is a binding agreement focused on elevating safety conditions for garment workers across Bangladesh through measurable, sustainable actions.
Target has focused for several years on improving safety in the Bangladesh factories where it does business. It has amplified fire safety training, expanded factory audit practices to make Bangladesh audits the most comprehensive of any country from which it sources; consolidated its factory footprint, which enables more controlled oversight; and all of its factories in Bangladesh have been audited by a member of the Target team in the past 12 months.
Target auditors are incredibly knowledgeable and trained on our processes, tools, forms and standards. While our footprint in Bangladesh is relatively small, it believes it can help drive meaningful change by aligning its efforts with other brands, trade associations, non-governmental organizations, labor groups, the International Labor Organization, and the U.S. and Bangladeshi governments.
Working together to tackle the challenges that exist in Bangladesh is crucial to creating sustainable change that positively impacts the country’s millions of factory workers. Target believes the plan developed by the alliance will complement the thoughtful work being done by others to advance worker safety, including the efforts of the European brands and other organizations.
Target has been encouraged by these initial steps and look forward to continuing as an active participant in the alliance. Target will serve as one of four retailers on the alliance’s board of directors, which is responsible for making sure the alliance is meeting or exceeding all requirements of the Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative, and ensuring that all the members meeting expectations and and milestones.
