The factory in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, did not make clothes for Zara, but was part of a company that did supply the retailer. The BBC programme prompted an investigation of the factory after which Inditex, which owns Zara, insisted the factory must close and redeploy staff.
A worker at the factory told the BBC World Service’s Global Business programme: “The overall factory conditions are not good, there is verbal abuse and physical abuse as well.”
Inditex head of corporate social responsibility Javier Chercoles said that Zara had not knowingly bought clothes from the factory in question in the past five years and had visited the factory in response to the allegations.
He said: “The factory had really poor conditions.” There was no evidence of any garments being produced at the factory for any of Inditex’s seven brands, he added. However, there were many other international brands being produced there, according to Chercoles.
Zara’s supplier, which owned the factory, has agreed to close it and redeploy staff within the business by September 25. Independent monitors have also been set up in the factory.
Value fashion retailer Primark came under attack in a separate BBC documentary, aired last night, which showed children as young as 11 had been subcontracted by one of Primark’s Indian suppliers to make garments for the company.
After the findings of the documentary were revealed last week, Primark ditched three of its south Indian factories that were found to be subcontracting and using child labour.
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