The Fashion Industry Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Disaster

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

This Thursday's Copenhagen Fashion Summit marks the one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster at the Bangladeshi garment factory. To honor and commemorate the victims, Copenhagen Fashion Summit has invited a Bangladesh Accord executive director to speak about the solutions being implemented to avoid another disaster.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140422/681617 )

The world's largest and most important event on CSR and sustainability in fashion, Copenhagen Fashion Summit, takes place on Thursday, April 24 marking the one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, the deadliest garment factory accident in history.

To honor and commemorate the victims, Copenhagen Fashion Summit, dedicates a special session of the conference to "One year after Rana Plaza". The session's keynote speaker, Alan Roberts, executive director of international operations for the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, will talk before an audience of over 1,000 key industry stakeholders about the work that has been initiated to increase safety in garment factories in Bangladesh.

Alan Roberts explains: "The Rana Plaza disaster has become a rallying cry to put action behind our words. And the work is in full progress. Behind the Accord on Fire and Building Safety stands a large group of major brands and retailers, which, in cooperation with international and Bangladeshi labor unions, has entered into a legally binding agreement to inspect factories in Bangladesh. These inspections are currently being carried out on the ground in Bangladesh. The efforts will support the transformation of the industry and hopefully spread to other markets beyond Bangladesh."

Eva Kruse, CEO of Danish Fashion Institute, organizer of Copenhagen Fashion Summit, says: "The Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh is one of many terrible examples of the dark side of the fashion industry. It underlines how important it is that we continue to fight for a more responsible fashion industry with improved working conditions in safe facilities."

The Rana Plaza session at the 2014 Copenhagen Fashion Summit will also include one minute of silence to commemorate the victims and showcase part of a film just has just been shot in Bangladesh.

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About Copenhagen Fashion Summit
The biennial Copenhagen Fashion Summit is the world's largest and most important event on sustainability in fashion gathering 1,000+ key industry stakeholders, politicians and decision makers in the Copenhagen Opera House. This is where leading voices in the world of fashion, luxury, business and enterprise meet to discuss the fashion industry's social and environmental responsibilities and solutions. Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, this edition of Copenhagen Fashion Summit will highlight the fashion industry's most innovative solutions to critical environmental, social and ethical challenges.

About the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh is an independent legally binding agreement designed to make garment factories in Bangladesh safer places to work and includes the implementation of safety inspections and the reporting inspection findings. The accord has been signed by over 150 apparel companies from 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia; two global trade unions, IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union; and numerous Bangladeshi unions. The Clean Clothes Campaign, Workers Rights Consortium, International Labor Rights Forum and Maquila Solidarity Network are NGO witnesses to the accord. The International Labour Organisation acts as the independent chair.

SOURCE Danish Fashion Institute