What will stop the next factory collapse?

We often talk about ethical consumerism and thinking about where our belongings come from at JM. As Nathalie reminded us as a recent gathering, the clothes may be inexpensive to you, but someone has paid for them.

News of the tragic collapse of the garment factory in Bangladesh has made this a much more public issue and a good moment to generate all important change in the system. I've just signed this petition in support of safer working conditions - you might be interested in doing the same. Do think about writing a personal message rather than just spamming them with the standard text.

Guilt-free clothing

We've all seen the horrific images of hundreds of innocent women burned or crushed to death in factories while making our clothes. In the next few days we can get companies to stop it happening again.

Big fashion brands source from hundreds of factories in Bangladesh. Two brands, including Calvin Klein, have signed a very strong building and fire safety code. Others, led by Wal-Mart, have been trying to wriggle out of signing by creating a weak alternative that was pure PR. But the latest disaster has triggered crisis meetings and massive pressure to sign the strong version that can save lives.

Negotiations end in days. H&M and GAP are most likely to flip first to support a strong agreement, and the best way to press them is to go after their CEOs. If one million of us appeal directly to them in a petition, Facebook pages, tweets, and ads, their friends and families will all hear about it. They'll know that their own and their companies' reputations are on the line. People are being forced to make *our* clothing in outrageously dangerous places - sign on to make them safe.

Last week's tragic collapse fits a pattern. In the last few years, fires and other disasters have claimed a thousand lives and left many others too injured to work. Bangladesh's government turns a blind eye to dismal conditions, allowing suppliers to cut costs to make clothes at a pace and price that global fashion giants expect. The big brands say they check up, but workers say the companies can't be trusted to do their own audits.

The companies are making up their minds right now. Let's call on the CEOs of H&M and GAP to lead the industry by signing the safety plan. Sign your name then share this email widely - once we reach 1 million we'll take out ads that they can't miss.

Read more
Collapse renews calls for safety agreement (Wall Street Journal)
15 May deadline set for Bangladesh safety plan (Industriall)
Western companies feel pressure as toll rises in Bangladesh (NBC News)
Avoiding the fire next time (The Economist)
Bangladeshi garment factory death toll rises as owner arrested on border (The Guardian)
Bangladesh factory safety under scrutiny after collapse (CBC)
Hazardous workplaces: Making the Bangladesh Garment Industry Safe (Report, Clean Clothes campaign)

Green shoots at Easter

Has anyone else got green shoots appearing from the tubs of soil and seeds we planted last week? So often at JM we look at issues that demand concerted engagement over the long haul to bring about meaningful change, so its refreshing to see a tangible outcome from our recent efforts to experiment with growing our own food within mere days of taking action.

It was equally encouraging to hear that our combined efforts to lobby Government to deliver on the commitment to allocate 0.7% of GDP to resource international development. Clearly, this announcement was part of a much wider and long-running campaign to make this pledge a reality, but it was nonetheless exciting to have been engaging with our local MPs on the issue one day and then to have seen it actioned the following week.

The sight of those green shoots sprouting from the dirt reminded me of a video I produced a couple of years ago to accompany a talk I gave at St Bs on the parable of the mustard seed. In the video, as in the parable, the dominant image is of weeds breaking through concrete, reclaiming ruins, bringing new life and colour to abandoned objects and forgotten places. This, says Jesus, is what the Kingdom of God is like - the transformation of our broken and corrupt systems, a restoration of right relationships, the dawn of a new hope.

This is what Christians celebrate at Easter - that through Jesus' death and resurrection, we are restored into right relationship with God, one another and the world. On that first Easter Sunday, the Kingdom of God went from an idea to a reality and it has continued to seed and spread throughout the world ever since.

When the hungry are fed, the poor cared for, prisoners comforted, the lonely befriended, the outcasts included and the stranger welcomed, that is the Kingdom of God.

When slaves are freed, labourers fairly treated, when women are valued as equal, that is the Kingdom of God.

When the thirsty are given access to safe clean water, when farmers don't have to sell their crops for less than they cost to produce, when young girls aren't subjected to mutilation, or forced to sell their bodies for sex, when companies in one part of the world don't exploit workers in another party of the world just because they can, that is the Kingdom of God.

Justice Matters is an expression of that same redemptive insurgency; our small effort to play a role in the creeping global transformation.

If you are around Finchley over the Easter weekend, why not pop into one of the Easter services taking place at St Barnabas Church and find out more about God's heart for social justice and how far He went to make a better world possible. 

Otherwise we'll see you again on the 18th April for our next gathering, at which we'll be hearing about Foodbanks with exciting guest speakers from both the Chipping Barnet Foodbank and the Trussell Trust, creator of the UK's largest Foodbank network. Plus we'll talking about taking up the Live Below the Line challenge again... 

So, lots to look forward to - have a good Easter weekend and see you soon!