Blog: A day to remember - Hoofdinhoud

Two years on from collapse of Rana Plaza factory

Today we should all remember the 1,129 workers who, on 24 April 2013, went to the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and never came back to their families, since the factory collapsed due to bad safety conditions. 2,500 were also injured.

The scale of the disaster affected us all. At the same time we discovered that these people were working for familiar fashion brands and we somehow suddenly also felt responsible for it.

Actually, the textile and fashion industry touches upon a wider world and the global development agenda and I think we have to pay particular attention to the safety and environmental conditions of workers in partner countries. I believe in an industry that values people and their environment, for Europe as much as for the rest of the world.

We know that many accidents plague the garment industry. Major clothing and textile manufacturing countries include those where farmers and workers commonly make less than a living wage and benefit from very little social protection.

Bangladesh and other developing countries need to create better employment opportunities for their populations, and it is equally important that people can work under decent social and environmental conditions. We have to help them. Through our development support, the European Union fosters inclusive and sustainable growth that gives people access to jobs that fully respect existing international labour standards, ensure adequate working conditions and environmental protection.

The Commission is also reflecting how we can create incentives for partner countries, as well as the private sector, for the responsible management of the supply chain in which all actors abide by those standards and principles.

2015 is the European Year for Development and I hope this will be the time to catalyse existing initiatives, build on best practices and mobilise efforts on the most critical issues. I am confident that collectively we can create a change and begin to fashion a cleaner, fairer and more sustainable way of working in the garment industry to avoid the repeat of such disasters.