56 Global Brands Sign On Extension Of International Accord
A total of 56 global garment brands and retailers have committed to workplace safety in the global garment industry by re-signing the renewed International Accord.
Signatories of the new International Accord include Adidas, Asos, Primark, H&M, Inditex, Ted Baker, Mango and, Marks and Spencer.
A number of additional brands are currently undergoing internal reviews and are anticipated to join the International Accord in the coming days, further expanding the roster of committed entities.
Renewed for an extended three-year term, with an automatic renewal for an additional three years, this commitment represents the lengthiest Accord commitment to date.
The development comes after the Clean Clothes Campaign criticised several brands on December 12 like IKEA and Decathlon for failing to sign the International Accord.
Clean Clothes Campaign added that these companies are denying their workers access to the Accord’s training and complaint mechanism, while relying on less rigorous social auditing methods increasing risks to worker safety.
The Accord community has again extended an invitation to all garment and textile brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh and Pakistan to join the growing list of Accord signatories.
The call is to re-sign not only the new International Accord but also the Bangladesh Safety Agreement and the Pakistan Accord and thereby reaffirm commitment to a safe and sustainable textile and garment industry.
The International Accord aims to serve as the overarching framework for implementing the Accord’s Country-Specific Safety Programmes (CSSPs) currently operational in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The agreement also allows for the adaptation of these safety programmes to future initiatives in other garment-producing nations, facilitated through separate agreements as CSSP Addendums to the International Accord.
Both the International Accord and the Bangladesh Safety Agreement officially came into effect on November 1, 2023.
