A new agreement after the Rana Plaza building collapse
On the anniversary of the Rana Plaza Factory collapse, which caused the death of some 1130+ people and injured many more, a global campaign, Fashion Revolution Day, will ask for changes to the way we produce our clothes.
LCF News caught up with alumna Tatiana Delaney (MA History and Culture of Fashion 2013), who is working for The Bangladesh Accord Foundation, which is driving through essential legislation to help prevent the kinds of disasters the world witnessed on 24 April 2013.
In her role as Head of Account Management for the foundation, Tatiana explained what the Accord is about:
“The Accord on Fire and Building Safety is a ground-breaking, independent agreement designed to make all garment factories in Bangladesh safe workplaces.
It includes the largest program of independent safety inspections that has ever been undertaken by private organisations in global supply chains, and will make sure the results of these inspections are reported publicly and transparently.”
Brands and retailers who sign up to the accord make promises to commit to carrying out repairs that are necessary in the factories and ensuring that the workers are paid a salary. The agreement also emphasises worker participation through training programmes and health and safety committees.
So far 150 clothing businesses have signed the accord – a step forward in demanding a safer, fairer fashion industry!