Rana Plaza Collapse
The Rana Plaza Collapse was the April 24, 2013 failure of a garment factory building in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed 1,134 people and led to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
What happened and why it matters
Rana Plaza made factory working conditions a brand responsibility, and its legacy shows up today in supplier audits, codes of conduct, and supply chain due diligence rules. The building housed garment factories making clothing for Western brands. When it collapsed on April 24, 2013, 1,134 people died and about 2,500 were injured. Within weeks, global and Bangladeshi unions and apparel companies created the legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety, eventually signed by more than 200 brands and retailers. For importers, the disaster explains why buyers now ask suppliers for audit reports and compliance documents before placing purchase orders.