The University of Toronto has announced it will be taking further steps to safeguard workers’ rights in Bangladesh apparel factories. Effective July 1, 2015, all licensees who source, produce, or purchase collegiate apparel for the U of T in Bangladesh must sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

The Accord is an independent agreement designed to make all garment factories in Bangladesh safe workplaces. It emerged as a particularly meaningful and rigorous initiative following several horrific apparel factory tragedies in 2012 and 2013, including the Rana Plaza building collapse, in which more than 1,100 people died. So far, more than 200 international companies with manufacturing operations in Bangladesh have signed on to the Accord.

The U of T’s support of the Accord will require licensees who conduct business in Bangladesh to sign a letter acknowledging the Accord requirement. Licensees that do not support the Accord will not be renewed.

The University’s Trademark Licensing Policy, established in 2000, was instituted to ensure that merchandise bearing the university’s official marks is manufactured under humane, non-exploitative conditions. The University of Toronto was the first Canadian university to have such a policy, and has also exercised leadership in its implementation of this policy over the last 15 years.

For further information, please contact Anne MacDonald, Director of Ancillary Services, at anne.macdonald@utoronto.ca.