FIBERcast 8 Two Years After the Rana Plaza, What Has Changed?
-- A Panel Discussion on Documentary Clothes to Die For and Corporate Social Responsibility in
the Bangladesh Garment Industry
Tuesday, October 20, 2015|12:00pm, Eastern
http://udel.adobeconnect.com/fibercast8/
Panelists:
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Zara Hayes, Director of Clothes to Die For
Sarah Hamilton, Producer of Clothes to Die For
Mara Burr, Senior vice president from the Albright Stonebridge Group
Avedis Seferian, President and CEO of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production(WRAP)
Dr. Marsha A. Dickson, Professor of Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, Irma Ayers
Professor of Human Services, Co-Director of Sustainable Apparel Initiative, University of Delaware
Moderator & Staff
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Dr. Sheng Lu, Assistant Professor, Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies
Kacie Schmeck, Fashion Merchandising Major
Emergency contact:
(+1)573-239-5924; shenglu@udel.edu
Event Logging
Event Plan
Time to start
12:01pm
Length
1-2
minutes
Content
Moderator announces the start of the event, welcomes attendants and
provides a brief guidance on how to submit discussing questions.
12:03pm
3 minute
Moderator asks each panelist to make a brief self-introduction (and
their involvement with corporate social responsibility issues). Suggested
order: Zara, Sarah, Mara, Avedis and Marsha.
12:07pm
15
minutes
Film discussion
1. Questions for Zara and Sarah:
Can you briefly introduce your documentary clothes to die for to our
audience? For example: what is this documentary about? Why did you
make it? And what do you want the audience to take away from watching
the documentary?
2. Questions for Mara, Avedis and Marsha
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As experts on CSR issues, how do you like the documentary? What does
the film impress you most?
3. Question for Zara and Sarah:
One thing I personally feel very impressed about the documentary is the
interviews with those survivors from the Rana Plaza tragedy. So what was
it like going to Bangladesh and talking to these survivors? Can you share
with us some behind the scene stories?
Mara, Avedis and Marsha can add follow up comments based on their
visit to Bangladesh and talking with people there.
12:25pm
25
minutes
4. Questions for All
What do you think the documentary and the Rana Plaza tragedy bring out
those aspects of the garment industry that many people don’t know?
Changes after the Rana Plaza Tragedy and Updates on CSR practices in
the Bangladesh garment industry
5. Questions for Zara and Sarah
From your observation while filming the documentary, what changes are
happening in the Bangladesh garment industry after the Rana Plaza?
Particularly, what people in Bangladesh are doing to prevent tragedies
like the Rana Plaza from happening again?
6. Question for Mara
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety is a major effort from the U.S.
business community in response to the Rana Plaza tragedy. I know you
are serving as their senior advisor. Can you give us an update on what the
Alliance has being doing, what major accomplishments have been
achieved and any future work plan of the organization?
7. Question for Avedis
WRAP is the world’s largest independent social compliance certification
program. Based on your work, do you see corporate social responsibility
(CSR) practices in the Bangladesh garment industry has critically improved
after the Rana Plaza? Why or why not? And how do you compare CSR in
Bangladesh with other leading apparel manufacturers in the world such
as China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Indonesia? Is Bangladesh still
significantly lagging behind?
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8. Question for Marsha
How does the academia look at the Rana Plaza? Does the tragedy lead to
some new research questions? What is your recipe for improving the CSR
practices in the Bangladesh garment industry?
Below are the questions collected from our students (any panelists can
answer/respond to these questions)
9. Will enhanced factory inspection increase production cost and make
apparel “Made in Bangladesh” lose price competitiveness?
10. To prevent tragedies like the Rana Plaza from happening again,
what each individual consumer can do or should do?
11. After the Rana Plaza, the European fashion brands and retailers
established the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh
(the Accord). Given the same mission of the Accord and the Alliance,
why not we combine them into a single organization? Doesn’t this
will make the inspection more effective and coordinated?
12:50pm
1:00pm
10
minutes
1 minute
12. Sub-contracting is regarded as an indispensable part of today’s
global apparel supply chain. But factories undertaking subcontracting work operate in a “black box”—many of them are off
the chart for inspection and audit. Any progress or new thinking on
how to solve the sub-contracting issue in the garment industry?
Take questions from the audience.
Moderator thanks the panelists and the audience for participating and
conference adjourns. Any future questions can be submitted to
fibercast@udel.edu and we will respond through email.
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