The decision follows the April 24 factory collapse in Savar, Bangladesh that killed more than 1,100 people and injured approximately 2,500.
The press release stated that University administrators made the change to reflect concern over risks to the safety of apparel workers in Bangladesh—the world’s second-leading producer of apparel.
"Duke has a deep and abiding commitment to ensuring that our logo apparel is produced safely and responsibly,” Executive Vice President Tallman Trask stated in the release. “That's why we support the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which is the strongest and most credible program to protect workers in garment factories from the danger of fires and building collapses.... We believe this is a fair and reasonable requirement that will help foster a safe and secure workplace, and we will be working with licensees to implement this policy as soon as possible."
The policy requires competent, independent safety inspections at factories. It also mandates that repairs and renovations be done as needed to make factories safe and that workers play a strong role in improving factories’ safety practices.
The accord has been signed by nearly 100 brands and retailers from 19 countries, the release stated.
United Students Against Sweatshops—a student group led by first-year Zoe Willingham and Zaynah Alam, a sophomore and staff writer for The Chronicle—began working to promote the campaign to improve working conditions in Bangladesh earlier this year.
“I have family in Bangladesh, so this is relevant to me on a personal level. I kind of know firsthand what the conditions are there,” Alam previously told The Chronicle.
In the release, Willingham described the policy change as “a huge step forward in the fight for safer and more humane jobs worldwide.”
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