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How Many Garment Factories Are Really in Bangladesh?

There are many more factories producing for the export apparel sector in Bangladesh than previously acknowledged. We estimate that there are upwards of 7,000 factories producing for export, while previous estimates put the number of factories at 4,000 – 4,500.

Before Rana Plaza, most estimates put the number of factories at 4,000 – 4,500.  In our 2014 report, Business as Usual is Not an Option, we argued that the number of factories actually was much higher because of the prevalence of unofficial factories. In the report, we outlined the business incentives for maintaining a wide network of informal factories that supply larger, formal factories. We called this model of production “indirect sourcing.”