The Walt Disney Company has ceased production in Bangladesh factories after a string of fatal accidents occurred in the factories where Disney products are manufactured. In March, the company sent a letter to vendors to transition their products out of "high-risk" countries to increase safety standards among suppliers, according to CNN.
Disney is also ceasing production in four other countries that have spotty safety records, including Ecuador, Venezuela, Belarus and Pakistan. The withdrawals are supposed to be completed by April 2014.
A factory collapsed in Bangladesh last week, killing more than 400 people. Prior to that, there was a fire at the Tazreen Fashions Factory in the capital city, Dhaka, that killed 112 people in November, as well as a fire in Pakistan that resulted in the deaths of 262 workers last September.
"After much thought and discussion we felt this was the most responsible way to manage the challenges associated with our supply chain," Bob Chapek, the president of Disney Consumer Products said.
Disney is the first brand to completely cease production in Bangladesh over the safety concerns, though less than one percent of the Disney factories are located in the country. An even smaller percentage are located in the other four countries Disney is removing their production from, according to spokeswoman Tasia Filippatos.
The decision was based on reports from the World Bank that assess the way countries are governed, which use factors such as accountability, corruption and violence in government. The five total countries Disney is removing their production from had the lowest scores on the report.
Disney intends to continue sourcing from companies such as Haiti and Cambodia, though those countries did not score significantly better on the World Bank report. Disney says they will use factories that partner with the Better Work program, which is run by the International Labor Organization and the International Finance Corporation, groups that work to control health and safety conditions in factories.
The company also said that if, in the future, the factories partner with the Better Work program, Disney will consider bringing production back to Bangladesh, according to Filippatos.
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