The Walt Disney Company, which stopped sourcing from Bangladesh in 2013 amid the fire and building collapse disasters, has considered including the country in its permitted sourcing country list with International Labor Standard (ILS) audits.  

The information came from a trusted source and the official notification of Disney is yet to be published, said the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Friday.  

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan welcomed the timely move of Walt Disney in recognition of the progress and transformation in the industry – particularly in the area of workplace safety, social standards and environmental sustainability.   

Also read: AAFA meeting: BGMEA stresses responsible supply chain, ethical sourcing

Factories participating in the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Better Work Bangladesh programme will be entitled to become a vendor. They will also need to participate in the Nirapon or RMG Sustainability Council along with specific remediation fulfilment criteria.  

Over the past years, the industry has made unprecedented efforts and investments to ensure safety covering fire, electrical and structural integrity, a robust follow up of factory remediation, to create a culture of safety while promoting the wellbeing of the workers.

The entire safety transformation programme was supported and facilitated by the government, the ILO, international brands, manufacturers and the global unions. 

Also read: UNDP & BGMEA pledge to continue collaboration on sustainable growth goals

The Hong Kong-based supply chain compliance solutions provider "QIMA" ranked Bangladesh as the second-highest Ethical Manufacturing country in its recent report "QIMA Q1 2021 Barometer."

The rating included performance against parameters like hygiene, health and safety, child and young labour, labour practices including forced labour, worker representation, disciplinary practices and discrimination, working hours and wages, and waste management.