Experts warn of disturbing factory conditions still happening years after disaster: 'This needs to be reversed'
Twelve years have passed since the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh killed 1,138 people and injured more. However, garment industry workers and advocates say major fashion brands are still dragging their feet on meaningful reform.
Nonprofits like the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) are sounding the alarm over stalled progress on workplace safety in the world's second-largest textile-producing country. Many brands tied to factories in the Rana Plaza — including Walmart, Urban Outfitters, and Amazon — have still not taken full responsibility, advocates say.
"Twelve years since the Rana Plaza collapse, it is vital that worker safety remains safeguarded," said Salahuddin Shapon, president of the Bangladesh NGWF, to Just Style. He warned that factory safety committees are weaker now due to a 2022 labor code amendment that reduced workers' rights and gave more power to factory owners.
"This needs to be reversed," he said.
After the collapse, more than 260 brands signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, a legally binding agreement for five years to improve factory conditions. But many major brands never signed on.
Despite the international attention, dangerous working conditions, poverty wages, and union suppression remain widespread in Bangladesh's fast fashion supply chain. The CCC reports that only a few of the 30 brands linked to the Rana Plaza disaster have made meaningful contributions to worker protections since.
These problems are not isolated.
They're built into the fast fashion model, which churns out massive volumes of cheap, low-quality clothing designed to wear out quickly and be replaced. This results in a flood of textile waste that ends up in landfills and our environment, all while workers remain stuck in unsafe, underpaid jobs, hurting progress towards a healthier, greener future for all.
Bangladesh has seen some progress, including a 2022 Employment Injury Scheme that provides limited support to injured workers and their families, and major strikes last year that resulted in 18 worker demands being met by owners. Still, advocates say stronger labor laws around workers' rights and injury compensation are urgently needed.
"These 12 years have shown that real change can only happen if brands' behaviors and practices are regulated by robust legal obligations," said Kalpona Akter, labor leader and founder of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity, to Just Style.
What should the government do about the fast fashion industry?
Set strict regulations
Incentivize sustainable options
Use both regulations and incentives
Nothing
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
One promising step via global effort is the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, a European policy that will require brands to take responsibility for their supply chains by 2026.
But consumers also have the power to change things right now. Shopping secondhand at thrift stores or online, or supporting transparent, ethical brands, can help save money and reduce demand for fast fashion's exploitative practices.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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