Wal-Mart donates $1.6M to promote fire safety
Wal-Mart Stores donates $1.6 million to promote fire, workplace safety in Bangladesh
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it will donate $1.6 million to toward health and safety education in Bangladesh, three months after a fire swept through a factory there, killing 112.
The fire raised questions about safety in Bangladesh's garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. Wal-Mart-brand clothing was found in the factory, but the world's biggest retailer said the factory wasn't authorized to make its clothes.
Wal-Mart said Tuesday that it will donate $1.6 million to U.S. nonprofit the Institute for Sustainable Communities to establish the Environmental, Health and Safety Academy in Bangladesh that will offer training on fire and workplace safety.
Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., ranks second behind Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M in the number of clothing orders it places in Bangladesh.
