ZAKIR HOSSAIN CHOWDHURY

It’s a great begin, however Bangladesh’s $40 billion garment trade nonetheless has a protracted solution to go. The shift to environmentalism on the manufacturing unit stage hasn’t translated to improved outcomes for the sector’s 4.4 million staff. 

Wage theft and delayed funds are widespread. The minimal wage, some 12,500 taka monthly (about $113), is much under the $200 proposed by unions—which has meant frequent strikes and protests over pay, time beyond regulation, and job safety. “Since Rana Plaza, constructing security and manufacturing unit circumstances have improved, however the mindset stays unchanged,” says A.Ok.M. Ashraf Uddin, government director of the Bangladesh Labour Basis, a nonprofit labor rights group. “Revenue nonetheless comes first, and staff’ freedom of speech is but to be realized.”

ZAKIR HOSSAIN CHOWDHURY

Within the worst case, greener trade practices might truly exacerbate inequality. Smaller factories dominate the sector, and so they battle to afford upgrades. However with out these upgrades, companies might discover themselves excluded from sure markets. A kind of is the European Union, which plans to require firms to deal with human rights and environmental issues in provide chains beginning in 2027. A cleaner Buriganga River mends only a small nook of an enormous tapestry of want. 

Zakir Hossain Chowdhury is a visible journalist based mostly in Bangladesh.