Rana Plaza
never again

Together, we remember

remembering Rana Plaza together

making sure garment workers never again face a disaster like Rana Plaza

On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed with thousands of people inside. At least 1,138 people died and thousands more were injured. This is the worst industrial disaster the garment industry has ever seen and it was entirely preventable. Workers were forced to enter a building they knew was unsafe under threat of losing their wages. We can never forget this terrible disaster and the people whose lives were ended and upended by it. We want to show to the world that they are not forgotten. We remember Rana Plaza here, by sharing your messages in their memory.

 

Missing worker Rina’s (18) mother still waits for her missing daughter in front of the barricade. Debris of collapse is on the other side of the barricade. Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 24th July 2013. Credit Taslima Akhter.
Poly Akhter's mother, Shahana (38), grieves for her. Her other daughter, Dalia, also worked in the factory complex but did not go to work on the day of the collapse. Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 1st June 2013. Credit Taslima Akhter.

We also want to make sure that a tragedy like Rana Plaza can never happen again. After the collapse, the realisation that this could and should have been prevented led to the creation of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Over 200 brands signed a contract to  commit to improving workplace safety in Bangladesh. Under this contract brands can be sued in court by unions if they break their promise. This programme has made over 1600 factories safer for two million workers. It took long and hard campaigning from many stakeholders to ensure a new International Accord was signed that preserves the work in Bangladesh and allows for expansion to other countries. Now we need to ensure that all brands sign this agreement.

Which brands still need to sign the International Accord?

While over 170 major brands have signed the International Accord, from major fast fashion brands and low cost retailers to more upscale fashion brands, a group of brands continue to refuse to sign this binding agreement to make factories safe. The full list is available here. Some of the most well known signatories and hold-outs are mentioned below.

Brands which don’t care about their workers’ safety

Asda
Auchan
Disney
Gap
IKEA
Levi’s
Target US
The Children’s Place
VF Corporation (Vans, The North Face)
Walmart
full list here

Brands which signed the Accord

American Eagle Outfitters
Fast Retailing (Uniqlo)
Fruit of the Loom
H&M
Hanesbrands
Inditex (Zara, Bershka)
Lidl
Primark
PVH (Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein)
Target Australia
full list here

Tell Brands: Keep workers safe

Make your voice heard. Send a message to tell Brands to KEEP WORKERS SAFE. Put your own message in the form below or copy and paste this:
I urge you to sign the new International Accord to ensure the factories you source from in Bangladesh will be made safe, as well as to make the programme’s inspection, remediation, and complaint mechanism available to workers in other countries. Many of your competitors have signed on and it is high time that you also take responsibility for your workers’ lives.

Add your message here to tell brands to keep workers safe. Press submit and we will send this to IKEA, Levi's, Auchan, Gap, VF Corporation (Timberland, The North Face), Walmart, Kohl's, Target US, Abercrombie & Fitch, Columbia, Kontoor brands (Lee, Wrangler), The Iconic, Canadian Tire, Asda, Carter’s, The Children’s Place, Macy’s, and Nordstrom.

Leave a commemorative message

Leave your words of commemoration and sympathy here  to remember the people killed in the Rana Plaza collapse.

Your messages commemorating Rana Plaza

Name/নামCountry/দেশMessage/আপনার বার্তা
Stephanie WalterGermanyI feel sorry for all those people who were killed and injured in the Rana Plaza collapse as well as for their parents, children, friends and relatives who were left behind. It makes me sad to know that people in Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries in the Global South have to suffer whilst producing garment also for the German market.
Marianne SpathelfGermanyTo the memory of those killed ten years ago in the Rana Plaza collapse, and for the better future of those working now in Bangladesh factories, I just urged Brands to whom it concernes to sign the new International Accord to keep workers safe. What happened 24th of April 2013 must never happen again!
JohannesGermanyWe have to make sure that tragedies like the Rana Plaza collapse never happens again. My feelings and my thoughts are with the survivors of this horrifying disaster and those who have lost their loved ones.
Heinrich OhlendorfGermanyI will remember "Rana Plaza" with every purchase of clothes.
Gertrud UhlGermanyI´ll fight for your rights.
Gisela BuchwaldGermanyWe will never forget what happened with the workers in Rana Plaza and for what reason. It is still a very sad and unbelievable cruel accident! I hope and pray that everybody who was harmed or lost a relative or friend or got injured will find peace and support!
Emma MarshallUnited StatesI am sorry for the loss of so many loved ones. I hope peace is found in their memories, and they will not be forgotten.
Violante Di Nezioitalyi hope you, Greatest People from our earth, will find some peace inside Your Heart. i’m with you for any word or hug: violantedinezio@gmail.com

What is the international accord?

The legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (“Bangladesh Accord”) between apparel brands and global trade unions has done very important work since the Rana Plaza collapse of 24 April 2013 to make factories safer for workers. Voluntary initiatives have in the past been unable to prevent mass casualties, and that is why the work of the Accord remains so important so many years since the programme started. It started its third mandate on 1 September 2021 as the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. The International Accord has committed to expand to other countries before November 2023.

read more

learn more

More information about Rana Plaza


A thousand cries

Rana Plaza arrangement

More information about the Accord

Protect Progress campaign

Bangladesh Accord

International Accord

Pictures on this website are by Taslima Akhter, unless otherwise noted.