Accord

Marking a milestone in the rollout of the International Accord’s country program in Pakistan, newly hired engineers are undergoing training. The capacity-building program aims to equip engineers with the technical knowledge and practical skills necessary to effectively conduct factory inspections and produce reports that identify remediation required under the Pakistan Accord.

The program is currently underway in Karachi, Faisalabad and Lahore, Pakistan, and spans 9 weeks (with a two week break over Eid). In this inaugural batch, 14 engineers (including 5 fire engineers, 5 electrical engineers, 4 structural engineers) are undergoing training facilitated by engineering consultants, alongside George Faller (Chief Safety Officer, Pakistan Accord) and Colm Quinn (Head of Operations, International Accord).

The capacity building program comprises two phases focusing on classroom and on-the-job training. The initial three days emphasise introducing engineers to key Accord principles, the Pakistan Accord Building Standard, and essential key safety inspections features. Additionally, classroom sessions familiarise engineers with key safety hazards to look out for during factory assessments, and capturing this key information in reports used to develop factory Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).

Following classroom sessions, engineers are currently undergoing a nine-week on-site building inspection and reporting training.

As part of the on-site training, trainee engineers joined the fire, electrical, and structural safety inspections at least 10 factories covered under the Pakistan Accord. Based on the complexity of the factories, these visits typically lasted one day.

The inspection day started with an opening meeting with factory management, followed by a walk around the building exterior and through all interior rooms and spaces. The team also conducted non-destructive testing as required, for example, measuring concrete hardness and thermographic scanning to identify electrical hotspots.

These initial inspections are part of the Pakistan Accord’s inspections and remediation program that began in November 2023. This recent round of inspections brings the number of factories covered under the Pakistan Accord to receive initial inspections to over 25 factories.

The International Accord Secretariat alongside the Pakistan Accord team organised a series of five brand-supplier meetings in Lahore and Karachi between 5 – 7 March 2024.

The purpose of these meetings was to to provide information about the Accord and its key programs for suppliers, and enhance engagement between brands that have signed the Pakistan Accord and their Pakistani suppliers. A supplier/factory becomes part of the Accord program in Pakistan once a brand sourcing from them signs the Pakistan Accord and lists it as a supplier.

The Accord team comprising presentations by Clara Kamphorst (Stakeholder Engagement Manager), Koen Oosterom (Head of Signatory Engagement), Veronique Camerer (Deputy Director, International Accord), Kirstine Drew (Chief Complaints Officer, Pakistan Accord), and Zulfiqar Shah (Country Manager, Pakistan Accord) shared insights on:

• The health and safety topics covered under the Pakistan Accord.
• The impact of the program for suppliers and the support available for them.
• The features, programs, and reasons to participate in the Pakistan Accord.

The sessions were attended by over 100 Pakistani suppliers and Pakistan Accord signatory brands including Adidas, Primark, GAP Inc. and the Boohoo Group.

Speaking about their participation at the event, Sam Leach from the Boohoo Group said:

The Boohoo Group sees the Accord framework as a great opportunity for our factories, not only to improve their building, electrical, fire, and boiler safety standards but also to enhance worker safety standards as a whole. We have seen the great work done in Bangladesh over the last 10+ years and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with The Accord and other international retailers to improve factory standards. As a part of these collaborative efforts, the Boohoo Group and The International Accord organised two brand-supplier meetings in Pakistan for Boohoo Group suppliers and factories in Karachi and Lahore. These meetings were well received by the suppliers with follow-up expressions of gratitude. We are encouraged to see that all our suppliers recognise the importance of the Pakistan Accord and are fully on board with the program.

We thank all attendees for their participation in these meetings and look forward to our continued engagement.

100 global brands and retailers have committed to the Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry (Pakistan Accord). Original Marines, Turner Bianca, S.O.K/ Group, Sun Garden,Tex Idea and MPL Home are among the latest brands to sign the agreement, which focuses on enhancing workplace health and safety in the Pakistani textile and garment industry.

The Pakistan Accord was established in January 2023 and is a Country Specific Safety Program (CSSP) being rolled-out as part of the renewed International Accord.

The Pakistan Accord covers all Cut-Make-Trim (CMT) facilities, namely Ready-Made Garments (RMG), home textile, fabric, and knit accessories suppliers, producing for Pakistan Accord signatory companies. Fabric mills will also be included at a later stage. Pakistan Accord signatory brands source from over 500 factories in Pakistan. Initial inspections at a first batch of factories supplying Pakistan Accord brands were conducted from October to December 2023.

Brands that sign the Pakistan Accord are committed to maintaining a long-term sourcing relationship with Pakistan and supporting their Pakistani suppliers in the journey to improve health and safety. We invite all garment and textile brands and retailers sourcing from Pakistan to sign the Pakistan Accord and contribute to a safe and sustainable textile and garment industry.

A total of 56 global brands and retailers have so far signed the renewed International Accord, 48 have signed the Bangladesh Safety Agreement and 88 have signed the Pakistan Accord. Multiple brands are in the final stages of internal reviews and are expected to sign the agreements in the coming days. The latest list of signatories is available here.

Brands and trade unions renewed their commitments for an extended three-year term, with an automatic renewal of another three years making it the longest Accord commitment to date. The International Accord will serve as the framework for implementing the Accord’s Country-Specific Safety Programs (CSSPs), currently in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as any future programs in other garment producing countries. These programs will be implemented through separate agreements as CSSP Addendums to the International Accord.

Additionally, the brands and trade unions finalised the new Bangladesh Safety Agreement to further their efforts in enhancing health and safety within the Bangladeshi garment industry through the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC).

Both agreements entered into force on 1 November 2023.

Prior to these two new agreements, in December 2022 Accord signatories decided to establish a new workplace health and safety program called the Pakistan Accord for an initial term of three years starting on 1 January 2023.

We invite all garment and textile brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh and Pakistan to join the signatories to these agreements. We encourage you to re-sign the new International Accord, the Bangladesh Safety Agreement, as well as the Pakistan Accord, and reaffirm your commitment to our collective mission of a safe and sustainable textile and garment industry.