Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

British fashion app sells off unwanted stock to aid Bangladeshi workers

A British shopping app is raising money to help hard-pressed garment workers in Bangladesh by selling off clothes ditched by global fashion brands as the coronavirus crisis decimated their sales.

Under Mallzee's Lost Stock initiative, boxes of clothes - with brand labels removed - are sold for £ 35 ($44), with 37 per cent of the retail price donated to a charity supplying food and other goods to clothing workers hit by layoffs and unpaid wages.


"We had the industry contacts to be in the perfect position to connect consumers with the cancelled stock supporting garment workers and helping avoid the clothes ending up in landfill," Melanie Gray, a spokeswoman for Edinburgh-based Mallzee, said.

Labour advocates in Bangladesh welcomed Mallzee's efforts but expressed concern that such initiatives could let big brands off the hook over mass cancelled orders that are putting the livelihoods of thousands of workers at risk.

"I appreciate this. But why do our workers have to live on charity?" said Kalpona Akter, founder of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity.

"It will be highly appreciated if they (Mallzee) can pressurise brands and ensure that they pay up."

Millions of Bangladeshi households depend on the garment sector, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. Exports fell by 84 per cent in the first half of April as $3 billion-worth of orders were cancelled or suspended, according to factory owners.

As the industry reels from the blow, Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh garment manufacturers and exporters association, said schemes like Lost Stock were "imperative."

Last week, Bangladeshi manufacturers said they would blacklist Western fashion brands that "exploit" them by failing to pay their bills due to the coronavirus crisis, days after threatening to sue a major British retailer over its debts.

Several manufacturers have struggled to clear workers' dues in the last two months due to the cancellations, and hundreds of unpaid garment workers protested on the streets last month.

Since launching the programme two weeks ago, Mallzee has sold 80,000 boxes of clothes, far exceeding its goal to sell 10,000, Gray said.

She said the company had collected enough funds to supply parcels of food and sanitary products to help 80,000 garment workers and their families.

Mallzee is working in partnership with Sajida Foundation, a Bangladeshi NGO, which plans to begin the distribution of the aid packages next month.

"We're in the process of making a list of garment workers who need the relief. It can support them for two months," said Muhymin Chowdhury, spokesman for Sajida Foundation.

Researchers say charitable efforts will not be enough to support workers in the longer term, urging the government to work with factory owners to create a social safety net for garment industry employees.

More For You

modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)

India open to tariff cuts on £17.7 bn worth of US imports: Report

INDIA is considering cutting tariffs on more than half of US imports valued at £17.7 billion as part of ongoing trade negotiations, two government sources told Reuters.

The move, which would be the most significant tariff reduction in years, is aimed at countering reciprocal tariffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mamata Banerjee calls for stronger Bengal-UK ties

Addressing the gathering, she spoke about Bengal’s economic and cultural ties with the UK and highlighted investment opportunities.

Mamata Banerjee calls for stronger Bengal-UK ties at London event

CHIEF MINISTER of India's West Bengal state Mamata Banerjee attended a high tea reception at India House in London, hosted by Indian high commissioner Vikram K Doraiswami.

The event brought together business leaders, government officials, and cultural figures to discuss investment, education, and trade opportunities between Bengal and the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Survey Reveals More Britons Reducing Everyday Spending

About 43 per cent of consumers said they were cutting back on everyday purchases, while more than a third reported increasing their savings as a precaution. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Survey shows more Britons cutting back on everyday expenses

CONSUMERS in the UK are reducing spending on everyday items as confidence in the economy declines ahead of chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement, according to a KPMG survey.

The survey, conducted among 3,000 UK consumers, found that 58 per cent believed the economy was worsening in the three months to February, up 15 percentage points from the previous quarter, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Hamdan Ballal

Palestinian Oscar-winning director Hamdan Ballal, co-creator of No Other Land, was reportedly assaulted by Israeli settlers before being detained by military forces in the West Bank

Getty Images

Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal beaten and detained in West Bank

Hamdan Ballal, Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later taken into military custody in the occupied West Bank, witnesses say.

The attack took place Monday evening in the village of Susya, where armed settlers targeted Palestinian residents and international activists. According to the Centre for Jewish Nonviolence, Ballal suffered head injuries during the assault. While receiving treatment in an ambulance, Israeli soldiers reportedly pulled him out and arrested him, along with another Palestinian. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK houses

Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2027 and be completed by 2029, the government said.

image: Getty

Government to invest £2 billion in 18,000 affordable homes by 2029

THE UK government on Tuesday announced a £2 billion investment to build up to 18,000 social and affordable homes in England.

The initiative is part of its broader target to deliver 1.5 million homes by the end of the current parliament and support economic growth.

Keep ReadingShow less