Skip to content
Supply Chain Risk Management – Resilinc
  • Products
        • OUR OFFERINGS

        • Agentic AI SuiteAutonomous risk management and compliance
        • AI AgentsIndustry and use case-specific analysis and action
        • Multi-Tier Mapping and MonitoringComplete end-to-end supplier visibility
        • RiskShieldProactive supply chain risk protection
        • EventWatchAIReal-time global event tracking
  • Solutions
        • BY INDUSTRY

          • Aerospace and Defense
          • Healthcare and Life Sciences
          • Automotive and Industrial
          • High Tech and Semiconductor
        • BY ROLE

          • Supply Chain Risk and Compliance
          • Sourcing and Procurement
          • Executive Leadership
          • AI and Data Science
        • BY SERVICE

          • Advisory Services
          • Managed Services
  • Resources
        • LEARN

        • Blog
        • Special Reports
        • Case Studies
        • White Papers and Reports
        • Podcasts and Webinars
        • ROI Calculator
  • Company
        • ABOUT US

        • Careers
        • About Resilinc
        • Events
        • Press Releases
        • In the News
        • Partners
        • Contact Us
Sign In
Schedule Demo
Supply Chain Risk Management – Resilinc
  • Products
    • Agentic AI Suite
    • AI Agents
    • Multi-Tier Mapping and Monitoring
    • RiskShield
    • EventWatchAI
  • Solutions
    • By Industry
      • Aerospace and Defense
      • Healthcare and Life Sciences
      • Automotive and Industrial
      • High-Tech and Semiconductor
    • By Role
      • Supply Chain Risk and Compliance
      • Sourcing and Procurement
      • Executive Leadership
      • AI Data Scientists
    • By Service
      • Advisory Services
      • Managed Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Special Reports
    • Case Studies
    • White Papers and Reports
    • Podcasts and Webinars
    • ROI Calculator
  • Company
    • About Resilinc
    • Careers
    • Events
    • Press Releases
    • In the News
    • Partners
    • Contact Us
  • Sign In
  • Schedule Demo
  • Products
    • Agentic AI Suite
    • AI Agents
    • Multi-Tier Mapping and Monitoring
    • RiskShield
    • EventWatchAI
  • Solutions
    • By Industry
      • Aerospace and Defense
      • Healthcare and Life Sciences
      • Automotive and Industrial
      • High-Tech and Semiconductor
    • By Role
      • Supply Chain Risk and Compliance
      • Sourcing and Procurement
      • Executive Leadership
      • AI Data Scientists
    • By Service
      • Advisory Services
      • Managed Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Special Reports
    • Case Studies
    • White Papers and Reports
    • Podcasts and Webinars
    • ROI Calculator
  • Company
    • About Resilinc
    • Careers
    • Events
    • Press Releases
    • In the News
    • Partners
    • Contact Us
  • Sign In
  • Schedule Demo

Home / Blogs / A Different Take on Supply Chain Sweatshops

bangladesh supply chain factory fire

A Different Take on Supply Chain Sweatshops

Jul 23, 2015

Wayne Caccamo

Uncategorized

In a blog article I posted back on May 1, I rehashed John Oliver’s tirade on apparel industry supply chain practices. In a segment of his satirical HBO news commentary show “Last Week Tonight” that aired in May, he made a scathing indictment of the supply chain practices of the likes of H&M, Walmart, Nike, and the Gap. He essentially accused these brands of being negligent, or at best claiming to be clueless, about the exploitive and unsafe working conditions in places like India’s garment factories. I just came across a very interesting alternative view on this topic in a brief article in the July/August edition of Yale Alumni Magazine entitled “Sweatshops Opening the Door to Change” (Carole Bass, Yale College ’83; Yale Law ’97).

The article interviews Mushfiq Mobarak, an economist at the Yale School of Management, who argues that the explosive growth of India’s garment industry benefits girls and young women, who hold most of the sector’s 4 million jobs. The availability of factory jobs, he claims, is a significant reason why girls are staying in school longer and delaying marriage and childbirth.

At the same time, fatal factory fires and building collapse have killed over 1,000 workers in recent years, prompting calls for boycotts until conditions improve. Mobarak and Rachel Heath (Yale PND) postulate in a piece they co-authored for the Journal of Development Economics that boycotts are the wrong answer because factories have created the first job opportunities for Bangladeshi women. By comparing pre- and post-factory data in villages close to new factories and in more remote towns, the economists estimated the influence of the new jobs on choices about marriage and age at the birth of their first child.

Older girls might leave school to work in a factory. But, because employees who are literate and numerate draw higher paychecks, younger girls are staying in school longer, they found. “For the first time, it becomes worthwhile to invest in girls’ education,” Mubarak says.

Are the authors making a case for sweatshops, Bass asks? “It’s a case against the knee-jerk reaction that we need to stop importing from Bangladesh,” Mubarak responds. “The right policy response is not to ban imports, but to invest in factory safety.”

Indeed, according to the most recent Resilinc EventWatch™ Annual Report, factory fire was the number one cause of supply disruption events worldwide in 2014. An investment in corporate social responsibility programs and the monitoring of sub-tier factory safety and working conditions may be one of the best ways to manage both hidden supply disruption and continuity risk, as well brand risk. The first step in this approach is investing in supply chain event monitoring and supply chain visibility tools.

{{cta(‘ea62e25a-938b-40b5-b389-c7791c66c394’)}}

climate change supply chain Ads-spot

Get Ahead of Hurricane Season

Prepare for Climate Change Supply Chain Disruptions

Learn how our supply chain risk management solutions help monitor climate change related disruptions.

Learn More

Recent Posts

Resilinc at Reuters Supply Chain USA 2025: Turning Disruptions into Competitive Advantage with AI Agents for Supply Chain Risk

Resilinc at ISM World 2025: Reinventing Supply Chain Risk Management with Agentic AI

The Future of Resilience: Agentic Supply Chain Risk Management Explained

5 Supply Chain Strategies for Riding the Tariff Roller Coaster

4 Supply Chain Trends from the Gartner® Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ 2025

Resilinc Named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Supplier Risk Management

What Spend Matters’ Spring 2025 SolutionMap Tells Us About Supply Chain Risk Management & Compliance

How to Prepare Your Supply Chain for Tariffs: Tariff Risk Mitigation Techniques

About Resilinc

We’re the world’s leading supply chain monitoring, mapping, and resiliency solution. Over 100k organizations partner with us to take their SCRM programs from reactive to resilient.

Request Demo

Recent Blogs

Loading...
Resilinc at Reuters Supply Chain USA 2025: Turning Disruptions into Competitive Advantage with AI Agents for Supply Chain Risk
Jun 13, 2025
3 MIN READ
Resilinc Editorial Team

Resilinc at Reuters Supply Chain USA ...

From our CEO’s powerful speaking session, to demos at our booth of our...
AI, Events
Resilinc at ISM World 2025: Reinventing Supply Chain Risk Management with Agentic AI
Jun 10, 2025
2 MIN READ
Resilinc Editorial Team

Resilinc at ISM World 2025: Reinventi...

Resilinc made a powerful impact at ISM World 2025—highlighting how AI-driven foresight and...
AI, Events, Supply Chain Resilience, Tariffs and Trade
The Future of Resilience: Agentic Supply Chain Risk Management Explained
May 23, 2025
3 MIN READ
Resilinc Editorial Team

The Future of Resilience: Agentic Sup...

Discover how Resilinc’s agentic supply chain risk management is transforming disruption response with...
AI, Supply Chain Resilience
Read All Blogs
resilinc logo footer

Join the ranks of successful companies that rely on Resilinc to proactively protect their supply chain, safeguard their balance sheet, and gain a competitive edge.

Company

  • About Resilinc
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Press Releases
  • In the News
  • Partners
  • Resilinc Academy
  • About Resilinc
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Press Releases
  • In the News
  • Partners
  • Resilinc Academy

Products

  • Agentic AI Suite
  • AI Agents
  • Multi-Tier Mapping
  • RiskShield
  • EventWatchAI
  • Agentic AI Suite
  • AI Agents
  • Multi-Tier Mapping
  • RiskShield
  • EventWatchAI

Resources

  • Blog
  • Special Reports
  • Case Studies
  • White Papers
  • Podcasts and Webinars
  • ROI Calculator
  • Glossary
  • Blog
  • Special Reports
  • Case Studies
  • White Papers
  • Podcasts and Webinars
  • ROI Calculator
  • Glossary

Support & Legal

  • Customer Support
  • Contact Us
  • Legal
  • Customer Support
  • Contact Us
  • Legal
resilinc logo footer

Join the ranks of successful companies that rely on Resilinc to proactively protect their supply chain, safeguard their balance sheet, and gain a competitive edge.

Company

  • About Resilinc
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Press Releases
  • In the News
  • Partners
  • Resilinc Academy
  • About Resilinc
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Press Releases
  • In the News
  • Partners
  • Resilinc Academy

Products

  • Agentic AI Suite
  • AI Agents
  • Multi-Tier Mapping
  • RiskShield
  • EventWatchAI
  • Agentic AI Suite
  • AI Agents
  • Multi-Tier Mapping
  • RiskShield
  • EventWatchAI

Resources

  • Blog
  • Special Reports
  • Case Studies
  • White Papers
  • Podcasts and Webinars
  • ROI Calculator
  • Glossary
  • Blog
  • Special Reports
  • Case Studies
  • White Papers
  • Podcasts and Webinars
  • ROI Calculator
  • Glossary

Support & Legal

  • Customer Support
  • Contact Us
  • Legal
  • Customer Support
  • Contact Us
  • Legal
X-twitter Linkedin Facebook

© 2025 Resilinc Corporation. All rights reserved.

Data Security

Privacy Statement

The Supply Chain
Risk Management Maturity Model

Discover your position on the supply chain maturity curve and learn how you can reach an antifragile state of resiliency.

    Learn More