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International Accord
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About us

How it all began

The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry is a legally binding agreement between more than 180 brands/retailers and global trade unions, IndustriALL Global Union & UNI Global Union, to make textile and garment factories safe. It came into effect on September 1, 2021, as the successor to the 2013 and 2018 Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. 


2013 Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed in May 2013 to advance workplace safety and address the prevalence of seriously harmful factory accidents in the textile and garment industry in Bangladesh. The agreement was initially signed by 40 brands and retailers, 2 global trade unions, IndustriALL Global Union & UNI Global Union, and 8 Bangladeshi trade unions in the aftermath of the April 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse that killed more than 1,000 workers and critically injured thousands more. By July 2015, the number of Accord company signatories had risen to 200. 


2018 Transition Accord

To maintain the achievements of the 2013 Accord, over 190 brands and retailers renewed their commitments by signing the 2018 Transition Accord with the global trade unions. The Transition Accord lasted 3 years and included a commitment to transfer the implementation of Accord programs to a national regulatory body. In May 2019, the Accord signed an agreement with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to set up a national, tri-partite organisation governed by brands and retailers, trade unions, and manufacturing associations, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), to carry forward the achievements on workplace safety in Bangladesh


2021 International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile & Garment Industry

In 2021 the Accord signatories reached a new phase in their partnership and established the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile & Garment Industry. This agreement continues the signatories’ commitment to supporting the workplace safety programs in Bangladesh through the RSC and commits to establishing workplace safety programs in other countries based on feasibility studies. 


The 2021 International Accord carries forward the fundamental components that drove the success of the earlier Accords, including respect for freedom of association, independent administration and implementation, a high level of transparency, provisions to ensure remediation is financially feasible, Safety Committee training and worker awareness program, and a workers’ complaints mechanism. 


Over 180 company signatories signed the International Accord by October 2022. 


View our complete list of signatories here.


Transparency and Accountability

We’re committed to meeting high standards of transparency and accountability and making relevant information freely available to all our stakeholders and the public. 


We ensure transparency amongst workers, factories, and brands about the actual status of workplace safety, by publishing a covered factories list, inspection reports, corrective action plans, and the status of safety complaints raised through the grievance mechanism. 


The International Accord also contains several provisions to ensure the accountability of all parties in the supply chain to resolve safety hazards and maintain a culture of safety in every International Accord-covered factory.


Check our Updates to explore the latest statements, factory list, Steering Committee meeting minutes, and our progress reports. 


Governance

The International Accord is a Dutch Foundation governed by a Steering Committee comprising 14 members with equal representation of the signatory companies and trade unions, including national and international representatives. Witness signatories participate in Steering Committee meetings as expert observers. 


The International Labour Organisation (ILO) provides a neutral Chair for the Steering Committee. 


To offer all stakeholders insight into our governance, minutes of each Steering Committee meeting are published under our Updates page. 

Signatories to the Agreement recognise that safe workplaces cannot be assured in the long term without the active participation of the people who work in them. -Preamble, The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile Sector (September 2021)

How we do it

Conducting factory safety inspections

All suppliers covered by International Accord are inspected by specialised and independent engineers to identify fire, electrical, structural, and boiler safety risks/issues.

Monitoring remediation

After initial inspections, factories develop Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) with the support of brands. Based on the safety issues identified within the CAP, the remediation progress for each factory is regularly monitored and published online

Training Safety Committees

The Safety Committee and Safety Training (SCST) Programme promotes a culture of workplace safety by means of training joint labour-management Safety Committees and holding all-employee meetings to raise worker awareness of potential safety hazards and how to address them.

Addressing worker grievances

Workers and their representatives can exercise their right to refuse unsafe work and raise complaints through an independent grievance mechanism. This mechanism provides a trusted avenue for workers to register their concerns in a timely, secure and if they prefer, anonymous manner, and have access to effective remedy.

Promoting transparency and accountability

Provisions such as full factory disclosure, regular progress reports, an escalation procedure in case of non-compliance, signatories’ commitment to ensure remediation is financially feasible, and an independent grievance mechanism ensure that signatories and factories remain transparent and accountable while advancing workplace safety. 

How we work (Download pdf)

Bangladesh

Since June 2020,  signatories continue their commitment to promote safer garment and textile factories in Bangladesh through the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC)  -- an independent, national, and tri-partite safety monitoring organisation for the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh that implements the safety inspections and remediation programme, safety committee and safety training programme, and the complaints mechanism that were previously implemented by the Accord in Bangladesh. 

  

The International Accord Secretariat in Amsterdam supports, coordinates, and liaises with the RSC to ensure that the brand obligations under the Accord agreement are fulfilled.


Explore the remediation progress of all factories that participate in the International Accord workplace safety programmes implemented by the RSC in Bangladesh. 

Establishing prograMs in other countries

The Secretariat conducted brand surveys, desk research, and in-depth interviews between October 2021- January 2022 to measure interest, presence, and volume of signatory brands in key garment-producing countries. Based on key findings, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Morocco, and India emerged as the priority countries to carry out detailed feasibility studies on expansion. 


Between March - August 2022, the Secretariat met with key stakeholders from industry, government, trade unions, brands, and civil society in the priority countries for in-depth stakeholder consultations. 


Based on strong interest from stakeholders, the Accord Steering Committee agreed to conduct pilot inspections as part of the feasibility study in Pakistan to inform the possible establishment of a workplace safety program there. 


Stakeholder engagement on the terms of a program in Pakistan continues and a decision among signatories is expected before the end of 2022. The Accord will continue dialogue with stakeholders in Sri Lanka, Morocco, and India to assess the feasibility of establishing safety programs in their garment and textile industries.


Follow our Linkedin  and Twitter accounts to know more about our ongoing feasibility work. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  

The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry (International Accord) is a 26-month, legally binding agreement between garment brands, retailers and trade unions to make Ready-Made Garment (RMG) and textile factories safe. The parties commit to continue the collective workplace safety program in Bangladesh by supporting the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) and to expand their safety programs to other countries based on the principles and standards of the previous fire and building safety Accords of 2013 and 2018. 


The agreement is based on a number of fundamental principles including: respect for freedom of association, independent administration and implementation, a high level of transparency, provisions to ensure remediation is financially feasible, Safety Committee training and worker awareness program, and a credible, independent complaints mechanism.


The main changes from the previous 2013 and 2018 Accord are: 

  • A commitment to expand the work of the International Accord to other countries based on feasibility studies 
  • A confirmation of the role of the independent RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) through which the signatories will implement their commitments in Bangladesh 
  • An option to expand the scope of the agreement to address Human Rights Due Diligence responsibilities 
  • An optional streamlined arbitration process to enforce the International Accord's terms


When signing the Accord, companies commit to: 

  • Disclose their RMG factory list to the Accord and keep this up-to-date. Signatories may further choose to list their suppliers in any of the following categories: i) home textiles; ii) fabric and knit accessories. 
  • Require their factories to participate in the inspections, remediation and workplace programs (Safety Committee Training, workers’ awareness programs, Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Complaints Mechanism). 
  • Negotiate commercial terms with suppliers which ensure it is financially feasible for the factories to maintain safe workplaces and comply with remediation requirements.
  • Exercise their collective leverage by issuing notice and warning and ultimately terminate business with factories that show inadequate remediation progress, in accordance with the Escalation Protocol. 
  • Assume collective responsibility for funding the activities of the program as set forth in the Agreement. 
  • Join the Brands Association for Textile & RMG Sustainability in supply chains that represents the brands in the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) in Bangladesh. 
  • Expansion of health and safety programs to other countries than Bangladesh, based on feasibility studies. 
  • Potential expansion of the scope of the agreement to address additional Human Rights Due Diligence responsibilities.


The International Accord is aligned with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Through the workplace safety programs, brands seek to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts, prioritizing one of the most salient human rights risks in their supply chains: the risk to loss of lives and irremediable injuries by fires, building collapses, or other accidents that could be prevented with reasonable health and safety measures.

The independent and trusted Safety and Health Complaints Mechanism, now with the RSC, meets the effectiveness criteria for Non-Judicial Grievance Mechanisms (UNGP Article 31, Pillar III – Access to Remedy).

The parties to the Agreement will also explore the expansion of the Accord’s scope to address additional human rights due diligence responsibilities and will set up a Working Group for this purpose.



The signatories agreed to the future expansion of health and safety programs and to the development of Country-Specific Safety Programs (CSSP) in other countries selected based on feasibility. The aim is that within the course of this 26-month International Accord agreement there will be at least one CSSP established.


Within six months of the commencement of the International Accord (before February 2022), the signatories will jointly define the criteria for determining where and when expansion is appropriate and will agree on an initial lists of countries for consideration.

CSSPs shall meet the following principles:
a) Programs are aligned with the principles, protocols, procedures, policies and programs developed under the Bangladesh Accord.
b) Programs include national constituents in their governance bodies, including industry, brands, trade unions and others upon agreement.

c) Programs use national government institutions and local expertise and, where applicable, the influence of the ILO - Better Work in order to build capacity and enhance a culture of health and safety in the country.


The RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) is an independent, national, tri-partite organisation in Bangladesh, consisting of brands, industry and trade union constituencies. The signatories to the International Accord have agreed to fulfil their commitments under the agreement in Bangladesh through their participation in the RSC. The RSC will continue to operate the safety inspections and remediation program, safety committee and safety training program, and the safety complaints mechanism in Bangladesh.


The International Accord Foundation will not be operating in Bangladesh, as the Accord’s Bangladesh based assets and human resources, protocols, procedures, and standards have been transitioned to the RSC in June 2020, in accordance with the May 2019 Memorandum of Understanding and the January 2020 Transition Agreement between the Accord Steering Committee and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), and endorsed by the Bangladesh High Court and the Government of Bangladesh. The Secretariat of the International Accord shall support, coordinate and liaise with the operations of the RSC in order to ensure that the brand obligations under the agreement are met.


The Brands Association for Textile & RMG Sustainability in Supply Chains (Brand Association) was set up as an association in the Netherlands and brings together the International Accord signatory companies. The Brands Association is one of the three formal members of the RSC (the trade unions and industry have set up similar associations) and six representatives of the Brand Association will serve on the Board of Directors of the RSC. Brand signatories to this International Accord commit to joining the Brands Association. The Brands Association, as set out by their membership rules, is only open for membership to brands who are signatories to the International Accord for the duration of the agreement.


Signatory companies contribute their equitable share in accordance with a formula yet to be decided by the Accord Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will establish a sliding scale of contributions based on certain factors, such as revenues, number of factories and annual volume, subject to annual revisions and capped at 350,000 USD per year. The signatory companies will contribute to funding the activities of the International Accord Foundation and the RSC in Bangladesh.


The establishment of new Country-Specific Safety Programs may require additional funding which shall be subject to a decision by the International Accord Steering Committee.


The workplace safety progress and achievements of the 2013 and 2018 Accords on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh remain publicly available on the Bangladesh Accord website.

This includes Quarterly Aggregate Reports, Remediation Updates as well as https://bangladeshaccord.org/factories" rel="noopener" target="_blank">up-to-date factory-by-factory remediation data


International Safety Accord Begins with 77 Garment Brands

Amsterdam, 1 September 2021


Today, 1st of September 2021, marks the official commencement of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment and Textile Industry, a 26-month legally-binding agreement to make ready-made garment (RMG) factories safe. 


The garment brands and retailers that have signed the International Accord commit to support the independent RSC, which has already undertaken health and safety related programs in Bangladesh; the brands and retailers further commit to the global expansion of country-specific health and safety programs based on the principles of the 2013 and 2018 Accord agreements and on feasibility studies. The new agreement will be implemented through the International Accord Foundation in the Netherlands. [1] 


On 25 August 2021, a group of representatives of international garment retailers and the global trade unions IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union announced agreement on a new, expanded worker safety pact. Since then, 77 companies have signed the new agreement and are therefore part of the first wave of companies that commit to continue and expand their collective efforts with the trade unions to make garment factories safe.


We encourage all garment and textile companies to sign this agreement and join our collective goal of safe and sustainable RMG and related industries.


Please see here a list of all garment and textile companies that have signed the International Accord. 

    

[1] The Foundation based in the Netherlands is currently named the Stichting Bangladesh Accord Foundation and will be renamed Stichting International Accord Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Joris Oldenziel, Executive Director

International Accord Foundation

joris.oldenziel@internationalaccord.org

Mobile: +31 614954430


Leonie Guguen, Senior Communications Manager

UNI Global Union

leonie.guguen@uniglobalunion.org

Mobile: +41 79 137 5436


Petra Brannmark, Communications Director

IndustriALL Global Union

pbrannmark@industriall-union.org

Mobile: +41 79 198 69 13

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