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Governing Corporate Social Responsibility in the Apparel Industry after Rana Plaza

Abstract

The Bangladesh Rana Plaza factory collapse in April 2013 grabbed headlines around the world. News media reminded audiences that the apparel they purchase is sometimes produced in factories with inadequate worker safety and employment conditions. But Rana Plaza was just the latest in a string of disasters going back decades in Bangladesh. This chapter reviews the importance of the garment industry to Bangladesh and introduces the new governance arrangements created by Western clothing companies which repeated their vow “never again”. The new arrangements reflect a corporation-led model for governance of apparel industry supply chains. This is contrasted with other possibilities that help to position the volume, namely government-led and mixed public–private sector models.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Anil Hira

  2. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Maureen Benson-Rea

Authors
  1. Anil Hira
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  2. Maureen Benson-Rea
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Correspondence to Anil Hira .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

    Anil Hira

  2. Management & International Business, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Maureen Benson-Rea

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Hira, A., Benson-Rea, M. (2017). Introduction. In: Hira, A., Benson-Rea, M. (eds) Governing Corporate Social Responsibility in the Apparel Industry after Rana Plaza . Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-60179-7_1

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