H&M will continue its crusade for protection in Bangladeshi garment factories with today’s announcement that they will be supporting the Accord on Fire and Building safety.
Introduced by IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, the Accord will bring focus to the safety of the buildings and its workers within the Bangladeshi Ready Made Garment Industry. Workers will no longer have to worry about fires, building collapses or other accidents. This has been a significant issue, in light of the recent tragedy in Bangladesh in which over a thousand garment factory workers were killed during a fire.
H&M has been aware of these dangers and has been actively pursuing this cause for some time now. In 2011 the retailer created an education plan to bring fire safety awareness to its suppliers and their employees in Bangladesh. Under H&M’s direction, their suppliers have always been obligated to conduct electrical assessments within their factories; H&M is willing to share those costs. The new Accord, which will span over a 5 year period, will require retailers to help finance fire safety and building improvements in the factories they use in Bangladesh, if a factory refuses to make improvements or conduct inspections, the retailer will have no choice but to stop doing business with them.
Other retailers who have vowed to support this accord include Inditex, which owns Zara, C&A, a Dutch fashion chain, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod. As the single largest producer of apparel in Bangladesh, this is a move in the right direction for H&M. This Accord is expected to make a significant difference with the Swedish retail giant backing it, and other retailers are expected to follow suit.
