Tenth Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Disaster

Ten years ago, on April 24, 2013, the world was shocked by the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh. The tragedy claimed the lives of 1,134 garment workers and injured thousands more. The building housed several garment factories that supplied clothing to major global brands. Rana Plaza highlighted the dominant supply chain logic: that a T-shirt can only be sold at a very low price at the downstream end of the supply chain because the real cost is paid by the workers at the upstream end, who sacrifice their health or even their lives. In the aftermath, many apparel brands committed to improving working conditions in their supply chains. Yet, progress has been slow and uneven. Ten years on, there is still much to be done to ensure that garment workers are treated fairly and with dignity. As we remember the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy, we, supply chain academics, have a crucial role to play in the transformation of fashion supply chains.