DUBLIN – Leading fast fashion retailer Primark has announced it plans to stop sourcing from Myanmar. The country is currently under military regime after a coup last year and Primark’s decision follows an Ethical Trade Initiative’s (ETI) assessment of human rights and responsible business conduct in the region. ETI’s findings were laid out in a recently published report.
The ETI claims that the ongoing coup in Myanmar is making it difficult for international fashion brands to carry out effective human rights due diligence.
The report claims there is evidence of forced labour in Myanmar’s garment sector and encouraged fashion retailers to cut ties with Myanmar-based suppliers.
It states: “The ETI Base Code is a set of workers’ rights standards that are a global reference for responsible business practice. In normal circumstances, ETI expects business to work towards these standards through a human rights due diligence approach. The assessment provides evidence that these standards are not being met in Myanmar’s garment sector and that it is not possible for businesses to apply normal human rights due diligence.”
In a press release, Primark said: “As a responsible business, our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of the people who make our clothes and products. We are also conscious of the workers whose livelihoods rely on employment at our suppliers’ factories.”
The brand said it had been left with no option but to work towards an exit from the country, which it will carry out in collaboration with partners and stakeholders in Myanmar.
It is currently looking into measures to be put in place to support workers in its supplier factories as it proceeds.