Australian retailer commits to publishing a list of its suppliers and inviting independent inspectors into factories

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Kmart has pledged to reveal the locations of all the factories it uses, as Australian retailers face continued pressure over the mistreatment of garment factory workers in Bangladesh.

Kmart has promised to bring transparency to its supply chain network, committing to publishing a list of its suppliers and inviting independent inspectors into the factories it uses.

Guy Russo, Kmart’s managing director, told the ABC that a recent audit by the retailer found that half of its Bangladeshi factories posed dangerous risks to workers.

“The reality is that some of them ... have done things that are not right and if we find that we cease doing business with them,” he said.

“And I think all up we have probably removed [or] exited over 100 factories in the last 12 months.”

Kmart is one of 75 international retail companies to sign an accord with unions to safeguard worker safety in the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse, which killed more than 1,100 people.

In June, allegations emerged of physical and verbal abuse of Bangladeshi workers in factories making clothes for Coles, Target, Kmart and Rivers.

Oxfam Australia, which has pushed for Australian retailers to commit to the accord, said Kmart’s pledge put it on the same footing as businesses such as Nike and H&M.

"This is a hugely important step and means that Kmart will be leading the pack in terms of transparency among Australian clothing retailers,” said Helen Szoke, chief executive of Oxfam Australia.

“Once Kmart publishes its list of supplier factories, it will be possible for independent groups to visit factory sites and verify wages and conditions for workers.”

Big W has yet to sign the safety accord, telling Guardian Australia it is “waiting on details on how it will work” before committing.

Just Group, which owns Just Jeans, Peter Alexander and Portmans, has also failed to commit to the worker safeguards, prompting around 50 protesters to picket the Just Jeans outlet in Melbourne’s Bourke Street on Thursday.

The protest, organised by activist group Ethical Work, saw a mock evacuation staged in order to highlight the safety risks faced by Bangladeshi workers.

Protest organiser Keelia Fitzpatrick said: “The Just Group points to their own internal policies. The problem is that unlike the accord, these measures are not transparent or enforceable.

“Workers die because the buildings in which they work are not safe. Internal ethical standards are well and good but the accord is the best measure we have to audit buildings and bring them up to scratch.

“Australian consumers have an expectation that their clothes don’t come as a result of Bangladeshi workers dying. We’ve had heaps of support across the country. Just Group’s attitude in emails to us has been dismissive, so we will probably take the protest to the head office in Richmond next week.”

Guardian Australia called Just Group but did not receive a response.