Presenter: It started with a few cracks in the walls, but then on April 24, 2013, it became the worst disaster in the history of the garment industry. According to BBC, on that day the Rona Plaza garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, completely collapsed, leading to the deaths of over 1,100 people. Along with the bodies, bricks, and garments left in the rubble, questions remained about who was to blame for the tragedy.

Sure, there were the obvious culprits-- the plaza owner, the construction company. But there were other suspects as well. What about the clothing companies whose goods were being manufactured there?

As Emran Hossain and Dave Jamieson pointed out in their May 2, 2013, Huffington Post article, garment industry insiders partially blame Western retailers for the tragedy. They claim that it is retailer demand for low-priced labor that creates these poorly constructed and unsafe work factories, which then lead to disasters like the factory collapse.

The thousands of miles that separate us from tragedies like this may make them seem unrelated to our everyday lives. But what if they're not? What if by purchasing the products that these companies make, individuals such as you and me are somewhat responsible for what happened? As we'll see today, there is evidence to support the idea that consumers and companies share a responsibility to ensure safer conditions for factory workers.

This is why I encourage all of you to become socially conscious consumers and help convince companies to adopt ethical manufacturing standards. Being a socially conscious consumer means being aware of the issues that communities face worldwide and actively working to correct them.

Why would companies do business with factories that allow dangerous working conditions? It's actually quite simple. Corporations want bigger profit margins.

The cheaper the production costs, the more money they make when the product sells. And since consumers show more interest in purchasing lower-priced items than thinking about how such items are created, the pressure is on to provide inexpensive goods. The only way to do this and still make money is to make the goods at the lowest cost possible.

But there is a way to break the cycle of cheap labor and deadly working conditions. You, me, all of us as consumers must be willing to step up and take an active role in the system. We can do this in two ways.

First, we can pressure companies to improve working conditions for factory workers. And second, we can pay fair prices. Some consumer groups are now signaling their willingness to do this, and corporations are responding.

The force behind this new kind of partnership is called cause-related marketing. According to the Financial Times, cause-related marketing is when a company and a charity or a consumer group tackle a social or environmental problem and create business value for the company at the same time.

In March 2012, the global marketing firm Nielsen conducted a worldwide study on consumer responses to cause-related marketing. The poll found that two-thirds of consumers around the world say that they prefer to buy products and services from companies that give back to society. Nearly 50% of consumers say that they were, and I'm quoting here, willing to pay more for goods and services from companies that are giving back.

The fact that large numbers of consumers are concerned enough about fairness to pay more for products is key to solving the problems that surround the ethical manufacture of clothing. Corporations can appeal to this group of socially conscious consumers by addressing concerns about ethical manufacturing.

What do corporations gain by addressing these concerns? It allows them to charge more for their products while increasing their profit margins and improving their brand image. This means that, as socially conscious consumers, we can set the standards that corporations must meet if they wish to maximize their profits from our purchasing power.

You may find yourself asking, can this actually work? The answer is a simple yes. In both the food and apparel industries, calls for changes in working conditions led to the now widely known nonprofit organization Fair Trade USA.

According to its website, Fair Trade USA is an organization that seeks to inspire the rise of the socially conscious consumer and eliminate exploitation worldwide. If products are stamped with the fair trade logo, it means that the farmers and workers who created those products were fairly treated and justly compensated according to an internationally established price.

Fair Trade USA made its mark in the food industry through its relationship to coffee production in Third World nations. Its success helped major companies such as Starbucks and Whole Foods recognize the strength of cause marketing. If you appeal to the high ethical standards of socially conscious consumers, they will pay more for your product.

Appealing to high ethical standards is often directly related to preventing tragedies such as the one that occurred in Bangladesh. After the factory collapsed, the major apparel sellers faced intense criticism over their lax labor practices. In response, these companies are now much more interested in establishing their products as fair trade to meet socially conscious consumer standards.

For example, as Jason Burke, Saad Hammadi, and Simon Neville report in their May 13, 2013, edition of the Guardian, major fashion chains like H&M, Zara, C&A, Tesco, and Primark have pledged to help raise standards for working conditions. According to the article, they will be helping to finance fire safety and building improvements in the factories they use in Bangladesh.

So what exactly can you do to help bring about ethical labor practices in the clothing industry? The two steps I encourage you to take are these. Become informed and ask questions about what you're buying, whether it's shoes, a T-shirt, or other types of apparel.

To be informed, you can visit websites such as Fair Trade USA, thirdworldtraveler.com, and tenthousandvillages.com, which list and sell products from clothing companies who have worked to meet fair trade conditions. This list grows monthly, and by supporting these companies through your purchases, you can become a socially conscious consumer.

Additionally, ask questions of other retailers. Whether you shop online or at local retail shops, ask direct questions before purchasing clothes. For example, where are your products made? Do you have proof of fair trade practices? Where can I find this information before I make my purchase?

Such questions define the socially conscious consumer, and they ensure that you will not be contributing to unsafe and unfair labor practices. Although several factors contributed to the tragedy in Bangladesh, there's one way we can help prevent future disasters-- become a socially conscious consumer. By being informed and asking questions, you too can make a difference in the lives of workers around the world.