Today marks one year since the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh. The world is reminded of this tragedy again this week, but the global fashion industry thinks about it every day. U.S. apparel brands and retailers have been working for the past 12 months to support the victims and their families as well as ensure the safety of workers both in the immediate and the long term.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has collaborated with a variety of stakeholders, including fashion brands and retailers, industry associations, labor groups, the Governments of the United States and Bangladesh, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to improve the compliance situation in Bangladesh.

USFIA member companies sourcing in Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the world, have programs and standards in place to ensure worker safety, and continue to update those programs and standards. We support any and all efforts by our members to improve worker safety in Bangladesh, whether they join the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, join the Accord on Fire & Building Safety, or take on their own initiatives within their companies.

USFIA strongly supports the ready-made garments sector in Bangladesh, and we strongly urge the Bangladesh industry and government to support good labor practices and work with all stakeholders to improve the compliance situation there.

On behalf of our members, we express our condolences to the families of the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy as well as the fires at Tazreen Fashions and Smart Garments last year. We remain committed to the safety of workers in the ready-made garments sector and will continue to engage on this issue to ensure that the highest safety and labor standards are met in Bangladesh.

For more information on our advocacy efforts on worker safety in Bangladesh, and elsewhere, click here.

For more information on the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety or the Accord on Fire & Building Safety, we encourage you to contact the organizations directly.