Did Rana Plaza Factory Disaster Change your Buying Habits? The Guardian

Did the Rana Plaza factory disaster change your fashion buying habits?

More than 1,134 people died making clothes sold in western high street stores last April. Did the Rana Plaza disaster change your shopping habits? If not, why not? And what can we do?

Interactive: the human cost of the Bangladeshi garment industry

Victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse died making clothes sold in western high street stores. 28 brands have been linked to the factory complex including Primark, Matalan, Benetton, Bonmarché, El Corte Inglés, and Mango.

Huge numbers of people use shopping as their primary leisure activity, and for some it is an addiction. The fast fashion industry relies on a year-round production flow, low stock levels in stores and a supply chain that responds to rapidly changing demands.

Buying a piece of clothing was once a celebrated occasion – in 1900 15% of household income was spent on clothing, compared to 2.8% in 2010. And it's not because we're spending more on a few quality items, in 1997 the average woman bought 19 pieces of clothing, and 10 years later 34.

Do you know where your clothes are made? Did the Rana Plaza Complex change your shopping habits?

What needs to happen to make us more ethical about our fashion choices? Are businesses or consumers responsible? And how can this be achieved? Does it require a transparent supply chain, or should consumers boycott companies known for unethical practices?

We asked people in Granary Square, London, home to Central Saint Martins college, if how clothes were made affected their purchases – here's what they said

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