A new agreement intended to protect workers in the Bangladeshi garment industry was unveiled Wednesday, after months of deadlock between international fashion retailers and trade unions and local factory owners.
The new agreement, the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, will take effect Sept. 1. It will replace the landmark Accord on Fire and Building Safety, forged in 2013 in the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,100 garment workers.
In the original agreement, almost 200 international brands – including H&M, PVH and Primark – agreed for the first time to legally binding safety commitments, independent inspections at the factories, and contributions for safety training and factory improvements.
As that accord neared expiration, and the Bangladeshi fashion sector continued to grapple with the fallout of the pandemic, there was widespread wrangling over what might come next.
The new agreement contains many of the hallmarks of the original, including the ability to subject retailers to legal action if their factories fail to meet labor safety standards; shared responsibility for governance between suppliers and brands; safety committee training and monitoring overseen by the Bangladeshi-based RMG Sustainability Council; and an independent complaints mechanism.