23 January 2023
Accord Steering Committee member brands affirm their commitment to the workplace safety program in Pakistan, in close collaboration with their Pakistani suppliers and other stakeholders.
The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry is an agreement between 190 global brands and retailers and 2 global union federations. Collectively, the Accord signatory brands source over $2.6 billion worth of garments and textiles from Pakistan. The undersigned brands, BESTSELLER, C&A, H&M, Inditex, Otto Group, and PVH Corp. represent Accord signatory brands on the Board of the International Accord.
Statement:
The International Accord is preparing for continued engagement with Pakistani stakeholders in the coming weeks, as we take steps towards the establishment of a Pakistan Accord office and the commencement of programs.
We, together with our Accord brands’ colleagues, are committed to supporting our suppliers in meeting the highest safety standards. This includes efforts to establish local governance structures that ensure industry and local brand and union participation in decision-making in every phase of the program.
The International Accord aims to protect the health and safety of millions of workers while helping the industry achieve sustainable growth in exports. With the signing of the Pakistan Accord and our brands’ commitment to this new safety program, we are renewing our commitment to a long-term sourcing relationship with Pakistan.
The Pakistan Accord provides an opportunity both to increase the visibility of the efforts already made by many manufacturers to invest in fire and building safety measures in recent years and deepen and expand them throughout Pakistan’s garment and textile sector, making it an increasingly attractive option for buyers across the globe.
We encourage all brands around the world to sign the Pakistan Accord agreement and join us in our collective commitment to raise the safety standards at supplier factories in Pakistan.
Accord Steering Committee Member Brands,
BESTSELLER, C&A, H&M, Inditex, Otto Group, and PVH Corp.
Announcement
Amsterdam, 14 December 2022
Signatories to the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry are establishing a comprehensive workplace health and safety program in Pakistan covering signatories' garment and textile suppliers. The new Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry is a legally binding agreement between global unions, IndustriALL and UNI Global Union, and garment brands and retailers for an initial term of three years starting in 2023.
Building on widespread safety improvements in Bangladesh, the Pakistan Accord includes all key International Accord features: independent safety inspections to address identified fire, electrical, structural and boiler hazards, monitoring and supporting remediation, Safety Committee training and worker safety awareness program, an independent complaints mechanism, a commitment to broad transparency, and local capacity-building to enhance a culture of health and safety in the industry.
“I am pleased to see the International Accord signatories reach agreement to establish a workplace safety program covering the signatories’ garment and textile suppliers in Pakistan. We are committed to working closely with Pakistani stakeholders to ensure our collective efforts are beneficial to the industry and its workers,” said Joris Oldenziel, Executive Director, International Accord Foundation.
The successful experience in Bangladesh prompted the signatories to expand the workplace safety program to at least one other textile and garment producing country. Through signatory surveys, extensive research, and local stakeholder consultations, the Accord Secretariat assessed the feasibility of expanding based on key factors. Pakistan emerged as a priority country, in part because of its importance as a garment and textile sourcing country for the Accord brands.
The International Accord has undertaken extensive engagement in Pakistan with federal ministries and provincial governments, industry associations, suppliers, trade unions and civil society organisations. The Pakistan Accord programs will be implemented in phases, in close collaboration with these key stakeholders and through the establishment of a national governance body.
The Pakistan Accord covers Cut-Make-Trim (CMT) facilities, namely Ready-Made Garment (RMG), home textile, fabric and knit accessories suppliers (including vertically integrated facilities). Fabric mills within the supply chains of the signatories are also covered, with implementation scheduled for a later stage in the program. The program aims to incrementally cover more than 500 factories producing for more than 100 Accord signatory companies throughout the Sindh and Punjab provinces, where most of Pakistan’s $20 billion in garment and textile exports are manufactured annually.
The decision to expand to Pakistan was announced during a signatory brand caucus meeting held on 14 December 2022. Brands will receive an information package on the Pakistan Accord and will be invited to sign from 16 January 2023.
Download the full text of the Pakistan Accord here.
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For more information, contact:
The Netherlands
International Accord Foundation
Joris Oldenziel, Executive Director
International Accord Foundation
joris.oldenziel@internationalaccord.org
Mobile: +31 614954430
Pakistan
Zulfiqar Shah, Consultant, Pakistan
International Accord Foundation
zulfiqar.shah@internationalaccord.org
Mobile: +92 30 02 11 96 37
All factories covered by the Accord participate in the workplace safety programs, which entail inspections, remediation monitoring, safety committee training, and a worker complaints mechanism, all implemented by the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) in Bangladesh. The full factory list for is available to download under this section and is updated on a monthly basis.
Company signatories to the International Accord are currently sourcing from 1449 factories in Bangladesh, which employ around 2.2 million workers. Download the full factory list for August 2022 here.
Company signatories to the International Accord were sourcing from 1437 factories in Bangladesh, which employ around 2.2 million workers. Download the full factory list for June here.
Company signatories to the International Accord were sourcing from 1423 factories in Bangladesh, which employ around 2.2 million workers. Download the full factory list for May here.
Company signatories to the International Accord were sourcing from 1419 factories in Bangladesh, which employ around 2.2 million workers. Download the full factory list for April here.
Last update - 19 August 2022
1- Steering Committee Video Conference Meeting July 2022 – minutes available here.
2- Steering Committee Meeting May 2022 – minutes available here.
3- Steering Committee Call Minutes April 2022 – minutes available here.
4- Steering Committee Meeting 1st February 2022 – minutes available here.
5- Steering Committee Meeting 18-19th November 2021 – minutes available here.
6- Steering Committee Meeting 17th September 2021 – minutes available here
9 May 2022
The International Accord is pleased to publish a Quarterly Aggregate Report for March 2022 which provides the latest status of the inspections, remediation, Safety Committee training and complaints mechanism programs at factories supplying to Accord company signatories, as well as an update on the International Accord’s expansion work.
International Safety Accord - September 2021 - public version (pdf)
DownloadPakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry - 2023_public version (pdf)
Download