Where is the supply chain for the clothes you wear? Four years ago, a garment factory building collapsed in Bangladesh, killing 1,138 people and revealing to the world that the fast fashion clothes you wear are actually produced there. Four years later, have the production environments of these brands improved? A recent survey by the British NGO Fashion Revolution found that the Fashion Transparency Index of the world's top 100 fashion brands is below 50. Familiar brands like MK, Giorgio Armani, PRADA, Chanel, Dior, and Forever 21 scored below 10, meaning their origins are unclear and their supply chains are completely opaque. Only a handful have a transparency score above 40. For example, Gap discloses its production locations, listing Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam on its website. H&M's website also lists many of its production locations as being from third-world countries. These four brands, including H&M, have begun to adjust their practices. Besides improving working conditions and wages, the green labels on their clothes indicate that they are recycled clothing, made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles. The tragic collapse of the RANAPlaza garment factory building in Bangladesh on April 24, 2013, which killed as many as 1,138 people, shocked the world. At the time, international calls arose for companies to improve working conditions in garment factories and increase supply chain transparency. However, four years later, the situation remains largely unchanged. —Reuters reporter Voss
