RMG products from Bangladesh
Canada govt asks Walmart to recall over 200,000 RMG products from market
The Canada government has asked global chainshop Walmart to recall over 216,000 readymade garment products of George brand from the buyers, fearing that those clothes could create choking and ingestion hazards. The products are made in Bangladesh.
The Health Canada website on 4 October said that the sleepers of George brand, made at the factory of Unique Designers in Gazipur, have been asked to recall from the market.
It stated that frequent washing of the clothes could eventually lead to zipper pulls and foot grips of the sleepers separate, which may lead to choking and ingestion hazards.
The government has requested people to return the already sold products to Walmart.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), an apex body of the garments factory owners, issued a media release on Sunday in this regard.
It said as per Health Canada, the clothes have been recalled due to health risks. But this is not a mistake of Bangladeshi producers. Buyers reject any products made in Bangladesh if it fails to fulfil the health safety conditions. This means the exportable products have surely gone outside the country fulfilling all the legal requirements and standards set by the buyers.
BGMEA further said those products were shipped from Bangladesh at the beginning of 2022 and were sold at the Canadian market between November in 2022 and June in 2023. However, Health Canada mentioned that it has not received any information of anyone getting hurt in the products as of 21 September in 2023.
BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim told Prothom Alo, “We have learned the matter from the media, but neither the brands nor the Canadian government informed us anything.”
“So far, what we have learned from the media is that it was not our fault. After the clothing was manufactured in factories, representatives of buyer companies checked the quality of the products and permitted their shipping. The buyer companies bear all the responsibilities afterwards,” he added.