On 24 April 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building collapsed, in Savar, in the Greater Dhakra Area, the capital of Bangladesh. It is considered the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern human history. French brand Auchan recently donated to the Rana Plaza Donor Trust Fund.
The brand committed US$1.5 million to the survivors and victims’ families through the official ILO backed compensation fund. When announcing the donation, Auchan cited the Ministerial statement, signed by seven EU governments including France, in June, as a factor in donating now. The statement recommended “companies that sourced in Rana Plaza donate generously to the Trust Fund, either for the first time or with a second contribution to come to an appropriate amount”. This commitment from Governments was reiterated in September this year by those in attendance at the ILO-OECD roundtable on responsible sourcing in the textile and garment sector. The fund now has just under half the estimated US$40 million that it is needed to ensure all the survivors and families of the 1,138 victims and the over 2000 injured receive full and fair compensation.
