On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed, killing 1,134 workers and injuring more than 2,500 others, many of them with life-changing injuries. The vast majority were garment workers, most of them women, producing clothes for major international brands.

The tragedy exposed the brutal reality of exploitation hidden behind the business model of the global textile and garment industry. Workers had raised concerns about cracks in the building and unsafe conditions, but they were forced back to work. Their warnings were ignored in the relentless drive for profit.

Rana Plaza became a global wake-up call. It showed the human cost of deregulated supply chains, weak labour protections and the failure of multinational companies to take responsibility for the conditions under which their products are made.

In the years that followed, trade unions secured major progress. The Bangladesh Accord, negotiated by IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, marked a breakthrough in legally binding corporate responsibility. Through independent inspections, remediation programmes, worker training and mechanisms allowing workers to refuse unsafe work, the Accord has helped make thousands of factories safer.

These achievements demonstrate what can be delivered when workers and unions have a seat at the table. But progress remains fragile and incomplete.

Millions of garment workers around the world still face poverty pay, excessive working hours, precarious employment and anti-union practices. In Bangladesh, wages remain far below what is needed for a decent standard of living. Across Europe, the textile and garment sector continues to be among the lowest paid in manufacturing, with many workers facing insecurity and outsourcing pressures.

At the same time, the environmental cost of the industry continues to grow. Global fibre production has more than doubled since 2000, driven largely by synthetic materials linked to fossil fuels. Overproduction, waste, pollution and greenwashing remain systemic features of the fast-fashion model, fuelled in part by European consumption.

The European Union has the tools to drive change, but political ambition is not keeping pace with the scale of the challenge. Key measures intended to improve accountability and transparency in supply chains have been weakened under pressure from corporate interests. Implementation of the EU Textiles Strategy must now deliver real improvements for workers and the planet.

Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe, said:

“For the trade union movement, Rana Plaza reinforced an urgent demand: binding rules that hold multinational companies accountable for workers’ rights, health and safety, and environmental standards throughout their supply chains. Corporate responsibility cannot remain a voluntary promise. It must become a legal obligation, with workers and their unions fully involved in enforcement"