Oxfam targets Australian brands including Bonds and Just Jeans to take responsibility for their supply chains in Bangladesh. The charity group released a ‘naughty and nice’ list of clothing brands that operate in Bangladesh but have failed to sign an international accord on fire and safety that ensures regular inspections of the Bangladeshi factories. Daisy Gardener, Oxfam's corporate accountability and Fair Trade adviser for Oxfam said, “"In the lead-up to this Christmas, we would like to see more companies sign up this accord. It only takes one incident, one fire or one collapse for workers' lives to be lost.”
Pacific Brands, which owns Bonds, Berlei, Jockey, Voodoo and Clarks, has yet to sign the accord. Just Group, which owns Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Peter Alexander, Portmans, Dotti and Jackie E, has also not signed, while Rivers has only committed to sourcing ethical cotton.
Discount retailer Best & Less sources garments from 15 factories in Bangladesh but has also not signed the accord. A spokesman said the company had ‘no immediate plans to join’. Kmart is the only Australian company that has promised to publish the location of its factories, further increasing the company's transparency.
