Bestseller Renews Safety Accord In Pakistan & Bangladesh
Bestseller, owner of brands like Jack & Jones and Vero Moda has signed the International Accord for Health and Safety in the textile and garment industry in Pakistan and Bangladesh for six more years, the longest till date.
The renewed International Accord agreement is a legally binding agreement that promotes and supports the development of safer workplaces in the textile and garment industry in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Recent negotiations between Bestseller and other representatives of global brands and trade union signatories to the International Accord have resulted in a new framework agreement.
“This agreement reaffirms our commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of the people working in our supply chain,” the Denmark based fashion retailer said in a press release.
“As a member of the International Accord’s steering committee, we are proud of the work done with our key partners at IndustriAll Global Union and UNI Global Union, in developing this new agreement,” Felicity Tapsell, Head of Responsible Sourcing said.
“We encourage all garment and textile companies to sign this agreement and join our collective goal of a safe and sustainable textile and garment industry,” Tapsell added.
Bestseller has been a signatory since the inception of the International Accord, as it believes that multistakeholder collaboration, based on the specific situation of individual countries, is the best approach to secure occupational health and safety for all textile workers.
Under the Accord agreement for the past ten years, 56,000 factory assessments have been conducted, and 140,000 health and safety issues corrected across 2,400 factories.
“Over two million workers have been trained on health and safety, and all workers in Accord-covered factories have access to a hotline to anonymously raise health and safety concerns,” the fashion company informed.
