On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Savar, near Dhaka, collapsed. It killed 1,134 people (official counts vary slightly, up to about 1,138) and injured more than 2,500, mostly garment workers and mostly women. It is the deadliest garment industry disaster on record. Cracks had been reported the day before, and workers were told to return. Garment factories in the building produced for international brands. The disaster led to the legally binding Bangladesh Accord, now the International Accord, and it shaped supply chain due diligence laws. More than 13 years later the murder trial is still not finished: as of mid-2026 it is under way in a Dhaka court, and a separate corruption case over the building’s construction has had its verdict deferred. Germany’s LkSG applies today, while the EU CSDDD will only apply from July 26, 2029, and only to the largest companies.
Every April, garment workers, labour rights groups and fashion advocates remember one of the most consequential industrial disasters of this century. Rana Plaza broke a myth: that supply chain responsibility ends at the factory gate.
What exactly happened at Rana Plaza on April 24, 2013?
An eight-storey commercial complex in Savar, built with illegal extensions, collapsed at about 8:57 am. It housed five garment factories, shops and a bank, and its factories produced clothing for international brands sold across Europe and North America.
On April 23, visible cracks appeared. Engineers and local officials were alerted, and the bank and shops on the lower floors closed. The garment factory managers, under pressure from production deadlines, told workers to come back the next morning. More than 3,600 workers were inside, and the collapse killed 1,134 and injured over 2,500, many with permanent disabilities. It was the foreseeable result of illegal construction and ignored warnings.
Which brands were producing clothes in Rana Plaza?
Labour rights groups and journalists found labels and shipping records linking the factories to Primark, Mango, Bonmarché, Matalan, Walmart, Joe Fresh (Loblaw) and others, and some reports also named Inditex through subcontracting arrangements. Some brands first denied involvement, and the responses differed sharply. Primark paid into compensation funds and was seen as relatively proactive, while others took months to acknowledge a link. Several said they had not known that suppliers were subcontracting to factories in the building.
That point drives today’s supply chain debates: brands often lack visibility beyond their first-tier suppliers, and that invisibility served as a defence. Due diligence laws were designed to close the gap. See our post on conflict minerals and due diligence for how such duties work in practice.
Who was held responsible and was anyone convicted?
Only partly. Sohel Rana, the building’s owner, was arrested days after the collapse as he tried to cross into India. In 2017 he received a three-year sentence for failing to declare his wealth to the anti-corruption commission. A murder case in which 38 people were charged has been delayed repeatedly, including by appeals, and it resumed in February 2022. The Supreme Court ordered in January 2024 that it be concluded within six months, but it was still under way in 2026, with the case transferred to a new court in October 2025 and witness testimony continuing. A separate corruption case over the building’s construction, involving Rana and seven others, had its verdict deferred in August and September 2026, and a case about building regulation violations is also pending. Rana’s parents died during the proceedings.
No international brand executive has faced criminal prosecution in any jurisdiction, which remains a point of contention. The conditions that made the disaster possible were shaped as much by brand purchasing practices, price pressure and audits that prioritised quality over safety as by local actors.
How much compensation did survivors receive?
About USD 30 million from brands, governments and other donors, against a target of USD 40 million. The Rana Plaza Arrangement, coordinated by the ILO, distributed the payments. Many survivors and families said the amounts were not enough to cover lifetime lost income and medical costs, and the ongoing murder trial has no compensation provision. Studies found that many survivors remained unemployed years later, because injuries prevented them from returning to garment work.
What is the International Accord and how did it come from Rana Plaza?
It is the most durable institutional legacy of the disaster. The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed in May 2013 by over 200 brands and retailers from more than 20 countries, together with the global unions IndustriALL and UNI Global Union. Unlike voluntary corporate social responsibility pledges, it was legally binding: brands had to fund inspections, make sure of remediation, and keep buying from factories that cooperated. It covered about 1,600 factories and carried out tens of thousands of inspections. A North American initiative, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, was less binding and expired in 2018.
In 2021 the model became the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, which extends beyond Bangladesh, with a programme in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, inspections were handed to a national body, the RMG Sustainability Council. Check the Accord’s website for its current coverage.
How has supply chain law changed in Germany, the EU, the UK, the US and Canada?
Rana Plaza did not immediately produce legislation. That took a decade of advocacy, but it reshaped the political environment in which laws were passed.
- Germany: the Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz (LkSG) has applied since 2023 (to companies with over 1,000 employees since 2024). It requires risk analysis, preventive and remedial measures and a complaints procedure. The annual report to BAFA was abolished retroactively from January 1, 2023.
- EU: the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was adopted in 2024 and then narrowed by Omnibus I (Directive (EU) 2026/470) to companies with over 5,000 employees and EUR 1.5 billion turnover, applying from July 26, 2029, with fines capped at 3% of turnover and no harmonised civil liability. The Forced Labour Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 14, 2027.
- UK: the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires large companies to publish annual statements, and critics say it lacks enforcement.
- Canada: the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (S-211) came into force on January 1, 2024 and requires annual reports from covered entities.
- US: the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, effective since June 2022, presumes that goods from Xinjiang are made with forced labour, which matters for apparel sourcing cotton and textiles.
Our post on ESG compliance requirements in 2026 covers the timelines.
What still has not changed since Rana Plaza?
Bangladesh’s garment industry employs several million workers, most of them women, and the country is one of the world’s largest apparel exporters. Safety has improved in factories covered by the Accord and the national programme, but wages remain low, and workers who organise, strike or demand higher pay still face dismissal and harassment. The structural economics behind Rana Plaza, including price pressure, purchasing power asymmetry and audits used to manage reputational risk, are not fully resolved. Mandatory due diligence is a step, not a solution. Living wages, freedom of association and enforceable worker rights are still needed.
For organisations working on ESG reporting and supply chain sustainability, Rana Plaza remains the clearest case of why disclosure without accountability does not protect workers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people died in the Rana Plaza collapse?
1,134 workers are the most widely cited figure, and some counts go slightly higher. More than 2,500 were injured.
What is the International Accord?
A legally binding agreement between global brands and trade unions that requires independent factory safety inspections, funded remediation and contractual accountability. It evolved from the 2013 Bangladesh Accord.
What laws were passed because of Rana Plaza?
No single law was passed solely because of it, but the disaster helped shape due diligence laws such as Germany’s LkSG, the EU CSDDD and Canada’s S-211, alongside earlier laws such as the UK Modern Slavery Act.
Was Sohel Rana convicted?
He was convicted in 2017 of failing to declare his wealth and sentenced to three years. The murder trial and a case on building regulation violations were still pending in 2026, and he remains in jail in connection with the murder case.
Are garment workers in Bangladesh safer today than in 2013?
Structural and fire safety have improved in factories covered by the Accord and national programmes. Wages and freedom of association remain major problems, and factories outside these schemes face less oversight.
This was a lovely bloog post