Students Staged Protests Over Garment Safety

Demonstrations across thirty universities demanded apparel brands sign a safety accord following the Rana Plaza disaster.

Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Unions

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a lone stone column against a cream background, representing the gravity of industrial safety standards. — United Students Against Sweatshops organized protests at over thirty universities in September 2013, demanding apparel brands sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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United Students Against Sweatshops organized demonstrations at over thirty universities during the week of September 21, 2013. The actions marked the six-month anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, which occurred in April 2013.

Why it matters

Students seek to compel apparel companies to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh to improve worker protections. The movement targets the fact that no college-producing apparel brands had signed the agreement at the time.

While over 100 brands and retailers have signed the Accord, zero college-producing apparel companies have joined the initiative. Meanwhile, three of the four largest garment industry industrial disasters occurred in the past year.

The players

United Students Against Sweatshops

This organization mobilizes college students to campaign for labor rights and safety standards in global supply chains.

Gap

This international clothing retailer is one of the companies that unveiled a separate safety scheme in July 2013.

Walmart

This multinational retail corporation participated in the creation of the Alliance for Worker Safety after the Rana Plaza disaster.

VF Corporation

This apparel and footwear company joined other major retailers to announce an alternative safety framework for factory workers.

The details

Demonstrations included die-ins, vigils, and teach-ins at institutions such as the University of Michigan and New York University. Students demanded their universities terminate contracts with any brands that refuse to address safety concerns through the official accord.

The Rana Plaza building collapse occurred in Bangladesh in April 2013.
Gap, Walmart, and VF Corporation unveiled the Alliance for Worker Safety in July 2013.
The six-month anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse fell in September 2013.
United Students Against Sweatshops held national demonstrations the week of September 21, 2013.

Political Context

The push for the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh faces direct opposition from companies like Gap and Walmart, which opted to create the separate Alliance for Worker Safety in July 2013. These corporations argue their internal schemes provide sufficient oversight without the binding commitments required by the student-backed Accord.

Students are pressuring their universities to terminate contracts with brands that refuse to sign safety agreements, which could eventually limit the availability of specific apparel on campus. This movement aims to force large retailers to change their supply chain oversight policies by threatening their university-level market access.

The takeaway

The student demonstrations highlight the growing power of campus activism in influencing corporate procurement policies. By demanding accountability for factory conditions, participants are attempting to force a shift in how major apparel brands manage global labor safety standards.