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The death toll from the Bangladesh garment factory that collapsed April 24 surpassed 1,000 this weekend. The collapse is being labeled as the deadliest incident in the history of the textile industry and marked the third workplace disaster in Bangladesh in five months.

Officials say that the eight- story building was constructed without necessary safety permits ensuring that the weight of the floors could be supported. The mayor of Savar, the city where the factory was located, has been suspended for allowing the construction to continue, and the owner of the building, Sohel Rana, has been arrested.

It has been reported that Rana was aware that the building had become unstable and photos show cracks in the walls just days before the collapse. However, while records idicate that no corporate employees were in the building at the time of the collapse, notifications had been sent to all manual labor workers demanding that they come in and threatening to withhold wages if they did not.

Since the collapse, workers have not received the wages they are owed from last month’s work. Multiple western retailers received clothes from the factory, including The Children’s Place and Cato Corp., according to customs records. According to the “Wall Street Journal,” clothing and invoice records from the Spanish retailer Mango and Italian- based Benetton were also found among the rubble.

Bangladesh attracts corporations because of the extremely low production costs. According to the Institute for Labour and Human Rights, a denim shirt that would cost around $13 to produce in the United States only costs $4.70 in Bangladesh. There is increasing pressure for companies who use Bangladesh labor to take action.

In March, the Walt Disney Co. announced that they were banning production of licensed garments in Bangladesh when Disney labels were found after a workplace fire in November 2012 that killed 112 workers. Activists, however, are calling for companies to improve working conditions instead of pulling production out of the country entirely.

The apparel industry is by far the largest employer in the country, employing around 3.6 million nationwide and accounting for roughly 80 percent of Bangladesh’s exports. Walmart, Gap and H&M were among a group of about 30 retailers that met in Germany May 1, to discuss a plan of action, which is reported to include providing factory managers with fire safety training. “The apparel brands and retailers face a greater level of reputation risk of being associated with abusive and dangerous conditions in Bangladesh than ever before,” said Scott Novia, the executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, a factory-monitoring group based in Washington.

Dylan Peterson, a DePaul senior, said that the collapse caused him to think twice about where his clothes were coming from. “Most of the time, for me, it was about getting the most for my money,” said Peterson. “I started thinking more about who made what I was wearing, but it’s kind of hard to even find that out.” In Australia, Oxfam is trying to make it easier for people to trace back the labels on their clothes to who produced them.

The organization is asking for local companies to sign an agreement to publicly list the exact location of every factory used. The goal is to increase public awareness and allow non- governmental organizations to independently check work place conditions and building safety. Target and Kmart have both agreed to meet with Oxfam to discuss the agreement, but have not said whether or not they will sign it. Despite increased awareness among the western population, many still unknowingly purchase products made in poor working conditions.

Additionally, while many companies have stated that they will be taking action to improve, those who have been connected to the April 24 collapse remain relatively silent, indicating that measurable improvement may be a long way off. “[Corporations] need to feel that their reputations will take a hit, and in turn, their attractiveness as a place to buy work, work from, and invest in will diminish,” said Matt Regas, DePaul corporate communication professor.

“There’s a risk that as the media spotlight dims again that real change will slow down. That’s why activist groups will need to keep the pedal to the metal and keep the pressure on as best as possible so this stays in the public eye.”