By Mike Lee* of
The Rana Plaza building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Analysis – Ten years after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, a disaster that killed more than 1100 workers and injured another 2500, the global addiction to cheap clothing remains strong.
In New Zealand, fast fashion has gone from strength to strength, fuelled by the ongoing cost of living crisis, low wages and accessible cheap clothing.
There were a number of factors that led to the Rana Plaza disaster. The eight-storey building had visible – and growing – cracks in a wall that were worsened by the vibrations of a two-tonne generator on the roof.
Garment labels for a number of global brands were found in the rubble. Rana Plaza is considered one of the worst industrial disasters ever, second only to the 1984 Union Carbide accident that killed 3787 people in Bhopal, India.
But the spotlight was also shone on the fast fashion phenomenon. The workers and factory owners were under intense pressure to meet relentless production deadlines for clothing brands around the world, and do so at minimum cost.
Credit: radionz.co.nz
