Tesco, the world’s third-largest retailer, has stopped sourcing clothing from a factory in Bangladesh after a serious safety issue at a building in the country, the company said recently.
The move follows an investigation into the collapse of Tesco’s Rana Plaza factory building in Dhaka in April, which killed 1,129 people.
Tesco said in a statement: “An investigation of a building where we source from in Bangladesh, owned by Liberty Fashion Company, identified serious safety issues. Having communicated our findings, we worked hard to find an alternative location to replenish the Tesco products we had stopped sourcing from this location. However we are disappointed. We have discovered serious issues with the safety of this building and we have decided to cease sourcing clothing from here with immediate effect .”
Tesco promised to investigate the buildings of all factories where it purchases, and require owners in various places to stop all production and evacuate to ensure the safety of workers.
Tesco also informed the relevant authorities, other consumers in this area and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association of the results of the investigation and decided to stop sourcing clothing from this place.
In the past 12 months, Tesco has stopped sourcing from 15 factories in Bangladesh.
