UW pursues improvements for Bangladeshi workers

Ahead of the April 24 one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is offering support to an international effort at improving working conditions in the country.

The tragedy, which killed 1,134 people, resulted in the creation of two organizations made up of European and American retailers and brands. Both have the goal of improving the fire and safety standards of Bangladesh garment factories.

In March, UW–Madison announced that it would require its licensees sourcing in Bangladesh to join one of the initiatives, called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety.

As a result, all 21 companies that disclosed sourcing, producing or purchasing any apparel from Bangladesh as of Jan. 1, 2013 under a UW–Madison license will be required to sign onto the accord by July 30, 2014.

Eleven licensees have already joined or are in the process of joining the accord: adidas, Antigua, Cutter & Buck, E5, Knights Apparel, New Agenda, Outerstuff, Russell, Top Line Screen Printing & Embroidery, Top of the World, and Zephyr Graf-X.

“The progress that has been made in the past year is remarkable, yet much more work remains,” says Cindy Van Matre, UW–Madison’s director of trademark licensing.

Although no UW–Madison products were directly produced at Rana Plaza, the university joined the accord because it has determined that it is the best option for success. The university’s focus and ultimate goal is to have those licensees that source in Bangladesh contribute to improving the safety of working conditions in Bangladesh factories, Van Matre adds.

The accord includes independent safety inspections at factories and public reporting of the results of these inspections. Under the plan, the accord brands and retailers commit to ensuring that repairs are carried out where safety issues are identified, that sufficient funds are made available to do so, and that workers at these factories continue to be paid a salary. A legally binding agreement, it has been signed by more than 150 apparel corporations from 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

The university currently has contracts allowing 448 companies to make products bearing its name or logos. UW–Madison is a longtime leader among colleges and universities working to curb abuses in licensed apparel manufacturing.