Making Sustainability Work, 2nd Edition

INTRODUCTIONImproving sustainability and financial performance in global corporations

On April 24, 2013, the catastrophic collapse of the Rana Plaza building on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, killed more than 1,100 garment workers who had been producing apparel for some of the world’s largest retailers.¹ The deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry triggered a chain of actions that may result in a major shift in corporate liability in terms of global supply chain safety. Up until today, retailers would be using factory inspections and audits to claim their global supply chains are safe and in line with their business codes. From now on, where their contractors have factories, retailers may also become accountable for building ...