EXPERTISE Corporate responsibility in the»Bangladesh Accord« Which regulations are transferable to other supply chains? REINGARD ZIMMER December 2016 „ „ With the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in April 2013, at the latest, the failure of voluntary regulation of companies’ responsibilities for their supply chains became an international issue. As a result the»Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh« was agreed between more than 220 transnational brand companies, two global trade union federations and eight Bangladeshi trade unions. „ „ In the past 20 years numerous transnational agreements have been concluded be­tween global trade union federations and companies. The implementation rules contained in the»Bangladesh Accord« and in particular its status as legally binding represent a qualitatively new development, setting new standards. „ „ The Accord lays down new benchmarks in relation to the bindingness of agreements, as well as various regulations that make implementation more effective. In particular the establishment of a court of arbitration whose verdicts are legally enforceable, the provisions on transparency and clauses on unauthorised subcontracting are mile­stones that future transnational agreements ought not to fall short of.