Remembering Rana Plaza: What can be Learned, and How the Industry has Changed
Written by: Hannah DeVries, Website, Newsletter & Blog Coordinator @ Threading Change
24 April 2022
[4-minute read]
On April 24th, 2013, Rana Plaza collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This eight-story garment factory killed at least 1, 134 people as it came crashing down, and if that isn’t gut-wrenching enough, this tragedy could have been prevented…
Only one day before (April 23rd, 2013), large cracks appeared on the walls of Rana Plaza. The lower floors closed their businesses, but the owners of the garment factory above demanded their workers come in to work the next day.
The Rana Plaza building was built using poor quality materials upon swampy ground and had developed upper floors without a permit. Only hours into the work day on April 24th, the building collapsed, causing 1, 000+ deaths and injuring another 2, 600, and most of them for the rest of their lives.
Many survivors were trapped under concrete or debris for hours, days, or even a week before they were rescued. This horrible tragedy has affected thousands of people and is still a cause for long term suffering for victims’ families and survivors.
This horrific death toll has made it the garment industry’s deadliest accident to date.
Despite housing the second largest garment industry in the world, Bangladesh pays the lowest wages to their workers. Thankfully, the Rana Plaza event caught global attention and brought light to the horrible truth of the dangers within the garment industry.
The media storm that followed resulted in political pressure and the demand for justice in compensation for the survivors and the families who lost loved ones. Failed diligence resulted in death.
The brands with relations to the factories operating out of Rana Plaza should have been held responsible. However, the difficulty of discerning which brands were manufacturing out of Rana Plaza, and having them admit involvement and culpability resulted in a movement that demanded more transparency within the industry.
Thankfully, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was established in 2013 in response to Rana Plaza. It operated as an inspection program which ensured safety in the workplace and allowed for the refusal of unsafe work. It also ensured that all those who suffered and were affected would receive compensation to cover income loss and medical expenses. However, it wasn’t until 2015 that the $30 million target was reached because it was so difficult to determine the responsible companies.
From the Accord’s inception in 2013, to the 2021 expiration, it made a difference for workers in Bangladesh. It undoubtedly saved people’s lives and reduced the number of factory accidents drastically with a number of enforced safety measures.
Although the Accord expired in August of 2021, it was renewed and amended under a new name – the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. This new Accord ensures the safety and protection of garment workers in not only Bangladesh, but other garment-producing countries where workers’ lives are at risk.
This is a huge accomplishment and a step towards positive change, not only for the industry as a whole, but for individual garment workers, organizations, and activists worldwide. It signifies the fact that the general public has power to make changes and we truly can make a difference.
Rana Plaza and other similar tragic events allows us the ability to demand for increased accountability and transparency within the manufacturing process. Let’s do the work to guarantee another preventable event like this never happens again.
Rana Plaza has taught us that fashion is not worth the cost of a human life.
If you would like to join us and start small in making positive change, PayUp Fashion has set up a petition to hold brands accountable and start building a safer environment for garment workers. You can sign the petition here!
About the Author:
Hannah (she/her) is a graduate of Trinity Western University where she studied English and Communications with an emphasis on journalism. With a penchant for writing meaningful content, Hannah loves to start conversations about ethics within the fashion community, and share with her readers how they can make conscious buying choices. She enjoys researching and learning more about independent brands who are making remarkable efforts towards sustainability. When Hannah isn’t writing, she enjoys going to local breweries, drinking coffee, and reading books on the beach!
Sources:
Clean Clothes Campaign, Update: Brands' responses to Tazreen and Rana Plaza compensation demands, August 2021.
The Borgen Project, Responding to Rana Plaza: Rethinking the Garment Industry, March 2018.
Remake, Victory! Bangladesh Accord Renewed and Expanded!, 2021.
